I own nothing found in any of the Twilight books or movie. My original character is mine, though :-).

Skipping Stones

Chapter 1

Jade's POV

Jade was lost in a calm, pleasant dream. Her breathing was in time with the waves against the warm sand; her muscles relishing the heat from the sand and bright sun. A lone ship floated across the horizon, blowing its horn…but why wasn't it stopping? How could it seem so loud when it was miles off shore? She was only afforded a few seconds to ponder this before she was abruptly awake.

"Jade, could you please shut off your alarm and get up? You're going to be late for your first day of senior year!"

Ugh. Well, that explains it. "I'm awake dad, I'll be down soon!" I yelled before allowing myself a long stretch and a few more moments in bed. The clock read 6:00 AM; better get going before I'm not ready in time. Grabbing my towel, I headed for the shower. The hot water worked wonders on muscles that were sore from yesterday's soccer game-the last of the "summer" season. Feeling much better, I shut off the water and dried off. After getting dressed, I dried my blonde hair, put on minimal make-up, brushed my teeth, and took a final glance in the mirror. Smiling, I knew I had picked the perfect outfit for today-a simple pair of jeans, a purple short sleeved v-neck sweater, black puma sneakers, and-of course-my favorite necklace and ring set made for me by my best friend Haley. After grabbing a jacket, just in case, and my back pack, I headed downstairs.

"Good morning sunshine, ready for your first day of senior year!" Mom…always happy and energetic in the morning.

"I think so. It'll be nice to see everyone again; last year before people head off to college!"

Oops. Shouldn't have said that…there would certainly be tears in a few seconds.

"Yes, time flies doesn't it? You've become such an intelligent, strong, and beautiful young lady. I'm so proud of you!"

Yep, there were the tears, just starting to form in the corner of my mother's eyes.

"I'm so very proud of you also, but I believe it's time for you to leave for school? You don't want to be late; driving faster to make it is not an option. Tell Haley I said hello."

Ah, good old dad. I could always count on him to walk in just at the right time.

"Yeah, I really should get going, and I will tell her hello. Though I'm sure you'll be seeing her soon!"

After giving my mom and dad a hug and grabbing a peach, I walked out the door. I couldn't help but smile as I started my car; I loved my car. A black 2006 Subaru STI-18th birthday present from my dad. If mom had any idea what the words horsepower, torque, and turbocharger meant in relation to a car, she probably wouldn't have let me have it. Fortunately, dad shares my love of fast cars and driving. The drive to school went by quickly; I parked in the same spot I had last year and spotted Haley jogging toward my car; of course she had heard me pull in.

"Jade! How are you? I've missed you so much!"

"I'm great, glad to see you got home safely. I suspect your plane got in at an odd hour since you didn't call me to let me know when you arrived?"

"Yeah. Our flight got delayed coming from Detroit and we didn't land until 2 AM. I can't believe I spent half the summer away from you and everyone else! Leave it to mom to throw me a curve ball. I've explicitly told her that we are not taking any extended vacations next summer-we need to make it the best one ever!"

"Of course we will, was there any doubt in your mind? This school year will be the best one yet also, we're seniors! Finally!"

"Yeah, talk about a relief! Let's not rush it, though. Hey, have you heard the news? There's supposed to be six new students this year; three sophomores-two boys and a girl, and three seniors-two boys and a girl. All the same family, moving down here from Alaska or something. I can't imagine it'd be fun moving to a new place for your senior year…" Haley wasn't nosy or a gossiper, but since her dad was the principal usually knew about everything going on in the school.

"I can't imagine it'd be too pleasant, but you've got to do what you've got to do, I suppose. Oh, what's your schedule for this semester? Or did you forget to dig it out of the mail like I suspect you did?" Haley would know I was only speaking the truth. We had been best friends for as long as I could remember.

"Ha ha, very funny Jade. No, I made sure I grabbed it, it's right here in my purse. Looks like American History 1st period, Calc I 2nd period, Spanish III 3rd period, and Senior Gym 4th period. All first round lunches, how about you?"

"Physics 1st period, Calc I 2nd period, American History 3rd period, and Senior Gym 4th. First round lunches-Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Second round lunches Monday and Friday Two out of four classes with you and three lunches with you, not bad!" I was happy to see we would have a few classes together. Haley had tried desperately to convince me to take Spanish III, but I wasn't very fond of the teacher.

Just then, two unfamiliar cars pulled into the parking lot; a large Jeep and an Audi TT Quatro. There were two boys and two girls in the Jeep. Judging by the seating arrangement, it was somewhat obvious they were couples. Two boys stepped out of the Audi.

"Oh, those must be the new people! I guilted dad into showing me the photos that came with their registration, I said something about wanting to welcome them to the school. The tall, dark haired boy's name is Emmett…Emmett Cullen. The blonde girl next to him is Rosalie Hale. Looks like they're together, doesn't it? Oh! The other boy who was in the jeep is Mason Hale. The short, dark haired girl is Alice Cullen, looks like they're together too. The one driving the other car is Jasper. The boy who was in the car with him is Edward."

Amazing how she remembered all their names and faces. I suppose it was easy enough, when your high school was this small. As I looked over each new face, I decided they all looked friendly enough. I'm not the type of person to just walk up and introduce myself, and thankfully neither was Haley. I supposed I'd see whichever ones were seniors in at least one of my classes. I was pulled from my pondering as the first bell rang. Haley's boyfriend Matt called to her.

"Alright Jade, I'll see you second period!" Haley called back as she rushed to catch up to Matt.

"See you then Haley!"

I locked my car. Alright, I thought to myself as I started walking, first day of the last year in high school.

Jasper's POV

It felt good to be back in Forks; it was the first house I lived in when I joined the Cullen family. We had been gone for quite some time. Long enough to let any memories of us die with the ones who held them. Esme, Alice, and Rosalie had spent the larger part of the past week "freshening up the house," as they called it. Carlisle, Emmett, Mason, Edward, and I stayed out of the way as much as possible; assisting only when asked. Furniture that was deemed no longer appropriate was whisked away and replaced with recent purchases. Paintings were shuffled about, books and CDs returned to their shelves. The bedclothes were changed, even though no one had ever slept in them.

"Jasper, is everything in place in your room? All your boxes and belongings make it through the move?"

Ah, Esme-always the concerned mother. The contentment, caring, and love that emanated from her every second of everyday was incredibly soothing. Especially since the emotions of my siblings, for all intents and purposes, were not always so calm.

"Yes, thank you kindly Esme. Everything seems to be in order here. Is there anything else you'd like help with?"

"No, thank you very much dear. The girls and I have everything in perfect order."

We both looked down as a loud squeal of delight reached our ears from the first floor. Alice must have had a vision.

"Everyone get ready to play baseball! A large thunderstorm is going to hit Forks in fifteen minutes. It will last exactly two hours and twelve minutes, which puts us at 4:32 AM. That leaves plenty of time for everyone to hunt and get ready to leave for school."

Silent blurs that were my family raced down the hall and into their respective rooms to change into their baseball uniforms.

"Emmet, let me in the closet first! I need to find my uniform!"

Rosalie had so many clothes; I was surprised she could find any one item when she wished to wear it. Even though her closet was organized by color, each color occupied an entire rack of its own. Mere milliseconds after Rosalie had yelled at Emmett, a loud crack was heard from their room. I supposed Emmett had tried blocking the closet and Rose had thrown him out of the way; inevitably into a wall. The lust that I felt rolling off Emmett must mean that Rose's exhibit of strength had turned him on. Was there anything that didn't lead his mind to sex? Esme grimaced at the sound of the wall crumbling to the floor as Emmett stood up.

"Well…I guess that was going to happen sooner or later. I'll order materials for a few replacement walls tomorrow. I don't need Alice to tell me that the material won't go to waste."

She turned and walked off to get changed. It took me all of thirty seconds to find my uniform, change, and leap out my window to where Alice, Mason, and Edward were already waiting. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett joined us quickly. We ran towards the clearing, Edward and I racing ahead of everyone else. Tonight it would be myself, Rose, and Edward against Mason, Carlisle, and Emmett. Alice was pitcher for both teams and Esme was catcher for both teams. The game progressed as it usually did; each team scoring, but no one ever had more than a two run lead. Just as Alice predicted, the storm ceased at 4:32 AM. We returned the baseball equipment to the house and then went hunting. Carlisle with Esme, and Alice with Mason decided to stay near Forks. Emmett and Rosalie headed a little further north. Edward and I headed east; I preferred hunting with Edward. No words needed to be spoken, as they were superfluous. He could read my thoughts and I could judge by the emotion coming of off him whether he agreed or disagreed. Hunting with Edward also meant I didn't have to deal with one of two types of emotion any other family member brought. If one member came with me, I would feel their rush to get back to their mate and I would be unable to enjoy the hunt. If a pair came with me, I would be subject to the lust and love rolling off them. While I did not concentrate on my lack of a mate, it was hard to ignore when proof of what could be was staring me in the face.

After a mountain lion and two deer, I was sufficiently full. My family still watched me carefully every time we were around humans, though I had not slipped in over 10 years. My gift was also a curse-if the emotional atmosphere was too charged, it was possible that my rational mind would be too overwhelmed and the predator inside me would take over. I did everything in my power not to let that happen. After Edward had his fill, we returned home to prepare for the first day of school.

The time leading up to our arrival at school was quiet. Everyone was content, well, most everyone. Rosalie's emotions were tainted by annoyance.

"Rose, you know Esme and Carlisle said you weren't obligated to repeat senior year again. You could go straight off to college-fabricating a high school diploma and transcript is all too easy. You could also take a year off and do whatever you wished." I gently reminded her.

"I know, but there are a few reasons I've decided to endure it."

She gave me a small smile before joining Emmet, Alice, and Mason in Emmett's Jeep. I got into my car; Edward was already waiting in the passenger seat. We made it to school in next to no time. We parked in the far corner of the lot. Everyone headed toward the school, apart from me. I wanted to remain outside a little longer. The mix of emotions made it almost impossible to distinguish one person for the next…almost. There were always the exceptions. My attention was drawn to one particular conversation. A young lady was explaining to a friend what our names were; she must have connections within the school. I was shocked to find that neither of them felt lust at seeing my family. But, the emotions from the girl in the purple sweater…they were enamoring. She exuded strength-mental, emotional, and she looked physically strong by human standards. She also transmitted contentment and calmness. She was at peace with herself and the world, happy in every sense of the word. Once I allowed myself to become wrapped in her emotions, I noticed several other things about her. She was beautiful. Her outfit complemented her in every way. The purple sweater made her blonde hair stand out and her brown eyes shine. She stood next to an immaculately kept Subaru STI; could that possibly be hers? As the bell rang, she pushed the "lock" button on her key chain, and it was the Subaru's horn that acknowledged it had been locked. Well, she even had good taste in cars. I noticed her friend had left her to catch up to who I was supposed was her boyfriend. Not an ounce of jealousy could be found in her. Not a drop of annoyance that her friend had left her alone. Was she capable of any negative emotion? She intrigued me to say the least. I silently hoped we would share a class or two as I walked off toward the school.