Chapter One~
Jasper turned his head to the sky, letting the snow fall in white puffs on his face and in his hair. He'd always marveled at the snow, from the first time he felt it. Texas didn't get snow, so it happened to be one of the things he didn't experience until after his changing. He laughed light-heartedly, the snow falling heavier now.
"Jasper Whitlock, was that laughter?" Alice asked in mock surprise as she hitched Nessie up on her hip. Jasper turned to her with a smile.
"Why, you never miss a thing, Miss Alice." Alice rolled her eyes.
"Let's go inside, Ness is practically shivering." Jasper put his arm around Alice and kissed her quick on the lips. They walked up to the house, Jasper laughing uncharacteristically, and Alice muttering about Southern charm.
They walked though the door to find everyone sitting around the living room, and two newcomers sitting on the barstools. The man had an alabaster face and dark Roman curls. He wore a white sweater and faded denims over a well built form to challenge Emmett. The woman was slight like Alice, but much taller. Though her face was pale, there was a hint of a darker complexion underneath. She had pin straight black hair that was almost like oil washing around her face, and it hung clear down to her waist. She also wore a white V-neck sweater paired with gray trousers. The one thing they had in common was the silver color of their eyes.
"Ah, Jasper, Alice," Carlisle said, "these are my old colleagues and dear friends. Mataeus Julysis ( pronounced: Ma tay oos You lis sees), and Anck Su Namun.(pronounced: Anacksu Namoon) It's taken me a long time to find them out in Jerusalem, but they soon decided to come find me it seems. I ask only that they share their stories and gifts with the rest of my family." He inclined the last sentence to the pair. The man smiled and ruffled the curls on his head with a small laugh that sounded almost surreal. Jasper sat, pulling Alice into his lap, and Mataeus began his tale in a ringing voice that matched his laughter. It was strangely more like a foreign instrument rather than a voice, and his words themselves were clipped as though his first language was not English.
"As a human, I was born in Sparta. I was approved to live as a soldier, and so was raised to be such. I do not fully recall my life as a boy, but I know that I had a gift above all others from an early stage. Though it was never clear, I could generally tell you about how long a person would live. At that point, it was the power of observation of lifestyle that gave the people of Sparta away. So, when the three hundred were called to battle Persia and Xerxes, I was fast named to join them. I lived as long as the rest, as long as I could. When I lay bleeding and dieing, a Persian 'Immortal' came to me. I was changed, but never taught. I wasn't given a choice in the matter, so my wandering was violent, blood ravenous, and lonely for a good time.
"Much later in my life, I was working as a night guard for a Roman Centurion. Specifically, guarding the people who were crucified before they died. It took all of my control, but it gave me a life among others again. It was during this time that I learned my true gift. I could literally see a person's time and date of death. It was also during this time of my life that I met Anck Su Namun." She leapt to her feet with fluid and silent grace and the only noise was from the bangles on her wrists and the tiny bells around her ankles.
"I was born much later than Mataeus, in Egypt. It was probably about A.D. 12, but we didn't mark years Annno Domini until over a hundred years after Christ's death. At the age of fourteen, I was kidnapped and taken to an outer province of Rome somewhere in Galilee to be a slave to a man who was a member of the high nobles of the city. Quickly, though, I was taken advantage of by Noble after Noble, and when their wives found out, they would blame it on me. I was the wrongful temptress. A beautiful and dangerous desert snake!
"So, I attempted to expose them for what they were. Apparently, attempting to expose nobles for wrong doing is a capital crime." She paused for a long moment, and Mataeus stroked her back reassuringly.
"I was sentenced to crucifixion. After the more terrible parts, which I won't share with you," Edward cringed at her mental images, "I was left to die that night. Unfortunately, I was young and healthy. It could take a person like me days of agony to die. It was Mataeus out on guard that night though. I guess he saw my numbers were far from over, and knew that he was set to save me from that fate. So, in the dead of night, he cut me down, and changed me into what we all are now. I was twenty one then, and ravenous as young vampires were. We went into the city in search of food, and got mixed into a crowd rallying around a man. That man beckoned us forward, and placed a hand on each of our faces.
"So quietly he whispered, so that only we could hear, 'I know what you are, and I shall save you.' then he turned his head to the heavens and called out in a loud voice, ' Father, release these two who are suppressed by their hunger that plagues us all. Bring them into your life and light again.' I assume you can guess who this man was. We never felt that ravenous hunger again, and we have not fed from a human since. Mataeus and I actually became close friends with him for the last few months before his death. I was even fighting to save him, but Mataeus held me back. He never told me why though." Mataeus laughed.
"You have never asked." He replied, "It's simple. Everyone has a number. A date and time of death. Well, Jesus, never had a number. I knew from what he said that he was the son of God. I also knew that he would live forever. Trust me, you don't realize how powerful the word 'eternal' is until you meet Christ himself."
As the room went up in conversation, Mataeus pulled Carlisle aside.
"What did you see?" Carlisle asked dismally. Mataeus sighed.
"The little girl. She goes first. Then most of the rest in quick succession." He put his hand on Carlisle's shoulder and squeezed.
"Ness goes first," Carlisle repeated softly, "How long?"
"About a month." Carlisle looked out of the kitchen at Nessie, and his eyes quickly met with Edward's. There was a deep sorrow in his eyes.
"How can we save her?"
"You don't. The numbers don't change."