By Eric Yorkie
Spartan Shield Staff Writer
Everyone at Washington College cannot seem to stop talking about a new family of students who enrolled this semester. One cannot eat lunch without seeing the five of them sitting at the same table every day, always out of the sun and always together. With their pale skin and color-changing eyes, the Cullens are an anomaly that are sure to shake up the campus.
The students, who are all adopted siblings, started attending classes at the beginning of the spring 2022 semester.
According to junior Jessica Stanley, the Cullens started attending Washington College because their father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, donated funds to improve the facilities at Barbara and George Cromwell Hall. He hopes to encourage more students to pursue a career in medicine.
However, since the change in weather thanks to the beginning of daylight saving time, some students have reportedly not seen the Cullens around campus. They only attend class when it’s cloudy or rainy outside.
“I heard they can’t go out in the sun,” sophomore Grace Morris said. “Apparently, at their last school in Forks, Wash., they would miss a bunch of days for ‘field trips.’”
Much of what was said about the Cullens is hearsay, as many students have trouble talking to them both in class and around campus. The only confirmed pieces of information are their names, dating history, and why they’re here.
Stanley has been sharing everything she knows about the mysterious Cullens with the rest of the student body.
“The blonde girl, that’s Rosalie, and the big dark-haired guy, Emmett, they’re like a thing. I’m not even sure that’s legal. It’s weird,” she said. “The little dark-haired girl is Alice. She’s really weird, and she’s with Jasper, the blonde one who looks like he’s in pain.”
The remaining Cullen is Edward, who seems to not be dating anyone, but many students have expressed interest.
“He’s, like, really hot,” freshman Noelle Punte said. “Don’t tell my partner I said that though.”
As previously mentioned, it is extremely difficult to speak with any of the Cullens. They mostly keep to themselves, and when they do attend class, they do not interact with the students or faculty unless it is a part of an assignment.
“Edward may have said one word to me during our bio lab,” freshman Morgan Carlson said. “I’m just trying to pass the class, and he wasn’t doing any of the work.”
Other students, like freshman Kaitlin Osucha, are enamored with the Cullens.
“Rosalie has the cutest outfits, but she kind of scares me,” Osucha said.
At their lunch table, Jasper and Alice sit on the left, Edward on the right, and Emmett and Rosalie in the middle. If a student walks past, they glare at them and maintain eye contact until the student leaves.
When asked about an exposé or a feature article on their arrival, Rosalie rolled her eyes while Jasper stared at me like I was his next meal. Emmett snickered. Alice and Edward were the only two who gave comments.
“I would love to do an exposé,” Alice said. “We’re attending WC because, as you may have heard, Carlisle donated money to the school. He wants us all to be pre-med track. But we’ve never attended a liberal arts school before. So, I’m super excited to be here.”
“Stay away from me, Bella,” Edward said. “Wait, what’s your name?”
Needless to say, this comment from Edward has caused quite a stir on campus, with many students speculating that Edward has a girlfriend at another school.
“I’ve been doing some research, and her name is Bella Swan. Apparently, they met when the Cullens were still living in Forks,” Morris said.
This ex-girlfriend won’t stop many of the students at the College from pursuing Edward, though.
But a crazy ex isn’t the only thing they have to worry about. Students who get lunch at the same time as the Cullens say they don’t see them eating.
“I get that the dining hall food is bad, but you gotta eat something,” freshman Lucy Verlaque said.
Other pre-med students who have classes with the Cullens reportedly said that they have cold skin and their eyes change color at times. The adopted siblings also have quick reflexes, and Edward seems to always know what other people are thinking as if he can read minds.
“During our lab, he asked if I was going to play Super Smash Bros later. How did he know what I was thinking?” Carlson said.
Like most issues on campus, the students have taken to Yik Yak to discuss their theories and interactions with the Cullens.
“I asked Edward one time why his eyes change color and he blamed it on the fluorescents. He’s lucky he’s cute,” one anonymous Yik Yak post said.
Students have been making outlandish guesses about what the Cullens could be. Some say they’re in the witness protection program, others say they’re superheroes or spies. But the reigning theory is that they’re vampires.
This theory hasn’t seemed to deter students from showing interest in the handsome but single Edward Cullen.
“If Edward is a vampire, I hope he bites me,” freshman Emma Parker-Watt said.
Photo by Alluring Apertures
Featured Photo Caption: The Cullens only ever sit by themselves at lunch, staring at any students who come too close to them. On rare occasions, students say they growl.