I don't own Twilight or any of its franchise.

Unbetaed

A/N So people seemed to be pretty glad that I returned. I am glad that was the case. Hopefully this will be well received as well, two more characters from the Twilight universe enters the story. Also, yay me for actually keeping my promise and updating in October! Enjoy!

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It became pretty clear within mere moments of Rosalie entering our classroom that people didn't really know how to react to her demotion of status.

Judging from the half-scowls of mockery and half-confused looks of pure perplexity that she received, it was pretty obvious that they didn't know whether to mock her or follow her as they usually did. Seeing the icy look on Rosalie's face, I certainly knew which group I would've joined if I'd been asked.

Not that I was asked, you know, since I was pretty much persona non grata in this irritating school.

But, I sighed mentally, irritating or not, I now have to try and bridge those idiotic gaps between me and them if I'm ever gonna have a chance to be the Lady of St. Lucia.

Deciding that actually paying attention to what the nondescript teacher said and not on the weirdness of my luxurious surroundings, I sat down in my usual armchair and opened my book before Edward could do it for me. I straightened my back and stared attentively toward the teacher, who honestly looked a little frazzled by my attention.

Sadly, my attention soon wandered. I've never been great at sitting still and listening to a boring educator droning on and on, especially when the subject was way above my level already.

Angela seemed as politely interested as always, I noticed as my eyes swept across the classroom. Her beautiful face set in an expression of avid interest. Ben, her somber-looking butler was standing silent vigil behind her, ready to assist at a moment's notice.

Alice was not paying the least bit of attention, preferring instead to send what seemed like little tiny shards of glass at Jasper, who returned fire as efficiently as always.

Another quick look at the teacher told me that he hadn't noticed, or simply didn't care as it really wasn't anything unusual when it concerned my housemate, Alice.

Rosalie sat, elegantly poised in the middle of the room. Her behavior not changed a bit by her new circumstances. Even Emmett looked the same happy-go-lucky man he always was, despite the fact that he too now sported a less than proper uniform like Edward.

As the memory of just how Edward's uniform had been defaced and ruined by my peers' butlers, I scowled and hoped for Emmett's sake that the other butler's had been nicer to him than they were to Edward.

"Miss Bella, is everything all right?"

Edward's warm breath that touched my skin as he whispered in my ear sent shivers down my spine and once more, I was reminded rather harshly of my increasing urge to just catapult myself at him. I managed to suppress my urges and sent a trembling smile his way.

"I'm fine, Edward," I replied. When he didn't look fully convinced, I added quietly, "I'm just not smart enough to follow this class at all."

For the first time ever, I actually witnessed Edward scoff, albeit silently so as not to disturb anyone in the room. He looked at me and knelt down to continue our conversation as privately as he could under the circumstances.

"You are a lot of things, Miss Bella. Dumb is not one of them."

I felt my face heat up at the sincere tone in his voice, the fierceness that lit up his gorgeous green eyes. "T-thanks, Edward."

Edward nodded mutely and got back on his feet just as the bell rang to signal a much needed break. Over the tumult of the other girls and their butlers, he leaned back down and spoke again, "If you are in need of help to understand the material, I'd be happy to oblige, Miss Bella."

Swallowing down the immediate rush of fantasies that somehow involved a glasses-wearing Edward standing tall in a private lecture room with me sitting at the closest table with drool down my chin, I smiled awkwardly. "I don't think that'd be a good idea. I think…" I decided to be somewhat honest for once and watched with a hint of amusement as realization dawned on Edward's face, "I think that if you taught me my concentration wouldn't be up to scratch."

There was a small uncomfortable pause and for some reason I just knew that Edward wouldn't have minded me drooling over him like a lovesick teenager, but fortunately for my peace of mind – and willpower, he straightened back up with a look of defeated determination on his face that didn't really made sense to me.

"If you require a female tutor, I can recommend someone for you, Miss Bella. She is rarely in class due to her extremely high I.Q. Her B-ranked butler comes by most days to collect her homework as she would rather stay in bed longer in the mornings. She's…" Edward paused, seemingly searching for the right words. "unconventional."

I raised a brow as I gathered my things and stood up. "Alice unconventional or less homicidally inclined unconventional?"

Edward's lips twitched as if he fought off a small smile before he replied seriously, "Miss Kate is younger than your other classmates and coupled with her intelligence, she doesn't handle routine as well as her butler, Garrett may have liked."

"Well, I guess we'll go talk to the kid then," I decided. "I could definitely need the help."

"Wait," to my surprise, Rosalie actually joined our conversation. She completely ignored the way my jaw dropped inelegantly at her interference and continued, "If you're talking about asking Kate for any kind of favor, you are even stupider then I thought. Edward, you know as well as I do that one does not simply ask Kate for favors."

Edward didn't reply and I closed my mouth and raised an eyebrow at him 'cause he needed to come clean. Immediately.

"I may have been a tad remiss in mentioning that Miss Kate is a rather fierce young woman. She has had an unusual upbringing and thus doesn't respect authority as much and has stated on several occasions when others have approached her for tutoring that they need to pay her fee or be her friend."

I frowned, the words confusing me a bit. "What's the problem? I mean, aren't everybody here some kind of billionaire something or close to it? They'd have no issues with paying the girl for her work. Makes sense to me that she wants to get paid."

Rosalie laughed a sound that should probably have only existed in fairy tales with beautiful princesses and their devoted knights. In that moment though, all I wanted was slap her. Managing to not actually act on my impulse, due to the realization that a) she'd slap me right back and b) I kinda wanted to know why she was laughing in the first place.

"Kate's idea of payment changes from person to person. The last one that tried to get her to help was Jessica and she had to forego her darling Mike's company for any session they had and," Rosalie's chuckle turned devilish and I mentally padded myself on the back for my decision not to act out earlier, "she would not be allowed to wear any makeup for the rest of her schooling at St. Lucia."

To me that didn't sound too bad at all, but knowing Jessica's complete devotion to her butler and not to mention her looks, it would've been an impossible price for her to pay.

Feeling a tad apprehensive all of the sudden, I managed to keep a somewhat neutral look on my face as I shrugged Rosalie's warning off. "Well, I'm not interested in a lot of things that happens here and I'm not as close to my butler as Jessica is. Also, people don't really know me yet so I doubt that whatever this Kate wants is gonna be any skin off my back."

Rosalie looked up at Edward as if to make him somehow force me to listen to her. I noticed that he was subtly frowning and just figured that he agreed with the blonde but was too polite to say anything. It was only later that I realized that I may have hurt him with the whole not being so close comment.

"Miss Bella wishes to gain knowledge and therefore I shall assist her in her attempt to do so."

I nodded resolutely and Rosalie simply rolled her eyes and left, muttering, "It's your funeral."

Looking at the clock and deciding that my quest to find Kate would have to wait till after classes, I sat back down and tried to pay attention to the teacher once again.

0o0o0

"Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Yes, Miss Bella." Edward didn't seem annoyed by my doubts about his capabilities to find my hopefully soon-to-be-tutor. Instead he merely glanced down at me with a kind look in his eyes, no doubt a little amused by my confusion.

To be honest, I hadn't expected the mysterious Kate to actually live in such a normal dorm. According to Edward, the girl lived in the children's dorm by the edge of the Diamante Dorm where those who were way higher up in the school hierarchy than me lived. Case in point, Rosalie used to live there.

Eyeing the beautifully kept gardens and overall usual splendor of the slightly smaller than my own Loser dorm, I frowned. It looked too perfect for any kids to live. Yet, Edward had informed me that Kate lived there alongside another younger student – Jane.

"Well then," I straightened up and began making my way up the impeccable pathway that was gorgeously surrounded by flowers that I had no doubt I'd never even heard of before. "Let's go greet the kid and hope for the best."

It was a matter of seconds before I'd knocked on the ornate white door in front of me, and when it didn't open after a few moments, I looked to Edward for help. He unceremoniously opened the door for me and led me inside just as a tall man came down the stairs over in the other side of the massive entrance room.

When I say tall, I mean tall, like 6, 5 maybe. He was taller than Edward even, with a lanky build and sandy-colored hair that was tied back with a leather thong and instantly made me jealous seeing as my own boring brown hair never looked as shiny as this man's did. When he drew nearer and I managed to ignore the enticing stubble that I rarely saw any of the meticulous groomed butler's with, I noticed that his eyes were almost black and they damn near sparkled like diamonds as they took in our arrival.

"Hello," he greeted after a brief moment to no doubt catalogue everything about me. "I apologize for not opening the door, but I was helping my mistress and the other butler residing here is currently with his mistress at the catering building to grab an afternoon snack she was craving."

Remembering the near obsessive way that Jane always took in food, I wasn't surprised but decided not to act like it was a bad thing that the admittedly chubby Jane was eating yet again. Instead I smiled politely and quickly introduced myself and Edward like those damn Lady Classes had taught me.

The butler smiled at my quick and obviously unsophisticated introduction and bowed graciously in return. "Welcome, Miss Bella. I am Garrett Smith and I am a B-ranked butler that services the lovely Miss Katarina, more commonly known as Kate."

His eyes sparkled so much that I felt oddly torn between liking him for his obvious friendliness and laid back attitude and eyeing him like a piece of meat in a manner that was usually reserved for Edward.

Evidently, my slight flush hadn't been unobserved by my butler because he stepped forward and spoke with a decidedly cool tone in his velvety voice. "Miss Bella requests a meeting with Miss Kate. She requires help with her lessons."

Garrett smiled kindly, seemingly not noticing the ice that the other man was sending out. Straightening back into a more formal stance, Garrett replied calmly, "I'll need to ask my mistress first. Please take a seat wherever and I'll return shortly."

Edward nodded and with one big hand on my lower back, he mutely led me toward the nearest chair. Sitting down with a sigh, I wondered if all this work was gonna be worth it in the end.

Of course it is, my more feisty side decided, pushing aside the sudden wave of despair that I found myself nearly overwhelmed by. I'll do anything to keep my parents together. They'd want to be by each other's side…

"Miss Bella?"

With a small start, I was ripped out of my thoughts by Edward's slightly concerned voice. Looking up, I noticed that not only was Edward looking down at me with worry, but Garrett had returned and was now wearing a similar expression of worry as well.

"Great, now that little Miss Dumb-Dumb is present mentally, let's talk."

The voice that practically oozed arrogance came from the stairs and I stood up to get a closer look. Halfway down stood a young girl and without any prompt I knew this was the infamous Kate. To my everlasting envy, the kid was already taller than me, at least five and a half feet.

And if that isn't enough, my inner self-critic pointed out nastily, she's almost as beautiful as Tanya and Rosalie…

She was another one of those perfect blondes that seemed to spawn at St. Lucia like nothing else, with very long pale blonde hair that was straight as corn silk. As I slowly walked closer, I once more decided that I hated my own boring looks. Kate's eyes were sort of brown like mine but that's where any and all similarities stopped. Hers had this weird golden tint in them that made her look almost ethereal, especially coupled with the effortless gracefulness she showed with every movement.

"Come along now, Dumb-Dumb, I haven't got all day to listen to your begging."

Aaand surprise, surprise, I thought with gritted teeth, she is another bitch of St. Lucia too. Joy.

0o0o0

Five minutes later, found us sitting in a small meeting room, which was furnished like a genuine meeting room with a big table, several leather rolling chairs, a projector and what not. By now I was pretty used to all the crazy things that were at this school, but the notion of kids several years my junior having a real board meeting or even a need for it kinda threw me a little.

Garrett was expertly setting up for some fancy tea and cookies that looked so beautiful that it was a shame to actually eat the damn things. He was still practically exuding a laidback attitude that I'd never seen in any of the other butlers that I'd encountered here. Not even goofy Emmett could boast of having that. Edward stood silently behind me, a quick glance told me that he was wearing his, 'I'm-Miss-Bella's-Butler-you're-all-beneath-her-look' and swallowed down my own nervousness in an attempt to look worthy of his confidence.

Judging from the raised brow and contemptuous gaze that Kate wore, I wasn't succeeding as well as I might have hoped.

Kate leaned forward and rested her elbows on the pristine table while tenting her fingers like a villain I'd once seen in a movie. "So, the new and not so bright pupil of St. Lucia enters my domain at long last. When I hacked your school records before your entering the school, I noticed that you didn't exactly qualify for the standards that most of us have here. In fact, compared to most of them, you're downright stupid."

"I have had several AP classes," I felt the need to point out, which only seemed to spur the little she-devil on.

"Like I said, your scholastic adventure so far isn't up to scruff. Imagine my not so big surprise when dear Garrett here told me you were standing in the entrance hall all of the sudden, despite the fact that I doubt you've ever really noticed me around before."

I swallowed a lump, 'cause whether I liked it or not, she was right and she knew it. Brat.

"That leaves me with one simple conclusion; you need help because you're finally realized just how dumb you are. Your looks aren't anything special so I know you need to excel in intelligence…so sad, really."

You need her help, you need her help, you need her help, I kept thinking in an attempt to keep my temper. Edward's hand suddenly landed on my shoulder and I looked up and froze at what I saw.

The way that my usually so serene butler's eyes were piercing Kate with a strength that seemed like it could cut through steel, sent shivers down my spine. He looked like he was ready to kill defending my honor and it was only when I remembered that he was indeed capable of doing just that, that I managed to shake myself out of my sudden rush of pure want.

That and the fact that Garrett completely called Edward's behavior and increased the tension tenfold when he straightened up and from one second to the next transformed into a man that radiated danger. His eyes were glacial as they locked in to Edward's and the tone in his voice made it pretty damn clear that Edward was walking a very fine line.

"Is there a problem, Masen?"

Before I could intervene, Edward actually replied, and he too didn't hesitate to show off the power he possessed with his tense muscles and almost fight-ready stance.

"Yes, there is, Smith. While my mistress may not live up to young Miss Katerina's perceived notion about intelligence levels and beauty, she does however far exceed her in terms of decent behavior."

For one brief moment, Kate and I actually shared a concerned glance. It was clear that neither man appreciated the slights on their mistresses. For the first time, Kate's age showed and she looked a little scared by the situation and I really wanted to stick my head in the sand, and act like the useless lady that everyone wanted me to be.

Except, I sighed mentally, while deciding that my quest for ladylike behavior would have to be put on hold for a few minutes, avoiding confrontation isn't something I'm very good at.

With another quick sigh, for real this time, I stood up brusquely and used every ounce of my acting ability to try and sound as nonchalantly bitchy as Rosalie when I looked down at the still seating Kate.

"Clearly coming here was a mistake. My S-ranked butler has a point, you know. I'm not the smartest person in this school, and I'm certainly not the prettiest either, but, I have common decency and it's telling me that little bitches like you isn't someone that I want help from anyway. Have a nice day."

I nodded briefly to Kate, whose beauty was marred by the stupefied look on her face. A quick look at Garrett told me that he too was shocked; his face had lost any signs of his earlier anger and matched his young mistress'.

"I wouldn't ever want to help a Dumb-Dumb like you anyway," Kate sputtered, her face still locked in its gobsmacked expression.

"Come on, Edward – let's go before my stupidity spreads further."

I swear, I could almost see a smirk flash across his face, but before I could be sure, Edward's face was blankly polite again and he graciously opened the door for me as we turned to leave.

Fortunately for my peace of mind, neither of the two people behind me said another word, and I managed to leave without making a further fool of myself.

0o0o0

Three days later, I was sitting in class with a scowl on my face. Angela, who was sitting in the armchair next to me on my right side, sent me a small tentative smile that reeked of guilt.

I wanted to pettily ignore her, but managed to return the smile, albeit a little awkwardly. After my oh-so-successful-meeting with Kate and Garrett, I'd all but run to Angela to try and get her to tutor me a little. She was in the top five of the St. Lucia students, so I figured she wouldn't have any issues with helping me.

Angela then revealed that she spent all her free time on the family business and didn't have the time to assist me. She'd felt so bad about her denial that she'd actually started stuttering and avoiding me aside from in class.

It was looking more and more like I'd have to accept Edward's offer to help me study.

It wouldn't be so bad if Kate hadn't decided to join my class all of the sudden, plopping right in and toppling the top student off her throne like she'd always been there. When I'd privately asked Edward how the younger girl could even stay in my class, he informed me that she already had 2 PhD's and was working on her second degree. The headmistress had apparently given Kate some kind of special permission to join whichever class she felt like in any given moment and allowed her full freedom on her independent studies.

As if thinking about the annoying brat, Kate appeared in front of me, eyeing me balefully as she'd done ever since entering the class that first day. Without a word, she sat down in the armchair next to Rosalie, who was sitting on my left side.

Rosalie eyed her with a vicious gleam in her eyes, as if making damn sure the kid didn't take any liberties just because she was beautiful. That was reserved only for Rosalie and no demotion could ever take that away from her.

I swallowed down a big grin because the more I came to know her, the more Rosalie grew on me. Even Alice and Jasper didn't dare fool around too much when she was around, which had earned them Edward's undying loyalty since that meant that for the first time since I came to the school, I actually got to eat mostly undisturbed from the dynamic duo.

I pushed my amusement aside and returned my attention to my schoolwork. The book was still as incomprehensible to me as ever, and I scanned through a few pages before giving up and glancing up at Edward. He looked a little too pleased that I couldn't get any other help than him, despite me already telling him that my concentration would no doubt be shot to hell if he taught me.

Maybe he's planning on rewarding me whenever I get something right? I thought and my vivid imagination was already conjuring up several scenarios wherein Edward removed clothes for every right answer I gave. That wouldn't be too bad, surely? Of course, I knew myself well enough to know that as soon as Edward's long fingers began removing even the first item of clothing, I'd lose all ability to think and never graduate to the bare-chested state that I was imagining.

It sucked to be a hormonal teenager with school problems…

Suddenly, I was ripped out of my thoughts when my classmates all began to gasp excitedly and exclaim sounds like the world's most famous celebrity had just walked through the doors. I turned around, getting up to see over the several heads of people that had gathered at the door and felt my mouth drop with confusion.

It was Tanya, the epitome of what my grandfather wanted me to be. She was still sitting in a beautifully ornate-looking wheelchair with her A-ranked butler, Jacob standing ever so stoically behind her. They were both elegance personified.

"What is she doing here?" Rosalie sounded furious and deadly enough for me to look at her briefly. She was using that tone of voice that she used to reserve for me before we got as close as we were.

"Stop looking at me, New Girl," Rosalie growled and sat back down in her seat, ignoring everything once again. Oh, yeah, we were pretty much BFF's by now.

A moment later, my attention was catapulted back to the new arrival, as her clear voice rang out from the doorway, where she announced that she was finally feeling well enough to rejoin the student body.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Edward had become immobile – more than usual – and was about to ask what that narrowed eyed look he was sending the beautiful girl was all about when a tug on my arm distracted me.

To my everlasting amazement, it was Kate. Garrett was standing vigil not too far behind with an emotionless mask on his face that rivaled one of Edward's best.

"I'll tutor you, Dumb-Dumb." I didn't even get a chance to utter a single syllable before she finished and left me gawking. "Ever Friday after class for two hours. Don't be late and don't ever show up unprepared."

"Err…what made you change your mind?"

Kate rolled her eyes and gestured with her chin toward the tumult behind me. "Never mind that. Shouldn't you worry more about Double P Tanya's arrival?"

"Err…" Honestly, I had no idea what to address first; the weird nickname for the serene and friendly Tanya or the bit about worrying about her showing up in class for some reason.

Kate obviously noticed my confusions and decided to give me some much needed answers. She leaned forward and after one extra look over at the still frozen Edward, whose unusual behavior didn't give my heart an uncomfortable jolt (it didn't!), I copied the young genius' movement and listened intently to her words.

"Tanya Denali used to be Edward's mistress and everyone knows she's utterly desperate to get him back..."

"Oh…" I whispered and found myself sitting back down in my armchair without any conscious effort to do so.

Edward didn't notice. For the first time since I'd met him, all of his attention was away from me. I didn't like it as much as I'd expected and if I had to swallow down a rising tide of inexplicable sadness and fear, well…that was nobody's business but my own…

TBC…

A/N So, that was Kate and Garrett. I know Garrett's description is not fully canon, but I'm mixing the books and the movies together on this as I loved the actor that played him. Also...any idea what Tanya's nickname stands for? Hopefully it's not too obvious heh...

Until Next Time