Alice stayed in her home tending to her mother while her father worked in the fields. He was harvesting the crops early because signs of the first frost were appearing in the town, when they came.

It happened faster than lightening. They were blurs of white and black. Their red eyes glowed like dying embers in the dark. The moon was dark in the sky, and there were no stars. There was only darkness.

Screams in the dark.

I closed the doors to my mother's room and locked it. I knew it was of no use, they would break through it anyway. I backed towards the bed. The hinges on the door broke free. T he door fell to the ground in a puff of dust. I saw the two eyes I had seen in my nightmares and knew the end was inevitable. He got to my mother before I could blink, and with a gasp, she was gone forever. He was behind me, I knew, I could feel his cool breath on my neck. I felt him push my hair to one side and press his lips against the skin there. I wished he would just get it over with, stop playing with me. He chuckled darkly, and my breath caught in my throat.

"You'll have to come with me." He said breathing gently against me. He ran his hands from the top of my shoulders, to the curve of my elbows. He kissed me lightly on the cheek. I fainted. Nightmarish dreams invaded my subconscious. I woke in a dark room. There was light coming in from underneath the door, so I knew he was still there. I heard a high keening sound that hurt my ears. I realized it was me.

Screams in the dark.

I heard him growling on the other side of the door. There was a scuffling sound, like someone fighting, and a few angry shoutings of insults and profanities, when suddenly the door opened and he stepped inside. His face was handsome yet solemn. He had the blood red eyes of his kind. He had dark shadows under his eyes, and bright yellow hair like sunlight. He moved his hand to the wall on the right side of the doorframe and flipped the switch. He looked back at me curiously, almost amused for a moment. Then walking towards me, hearing my heartbeat increase by tenfold, the amusement on his face grew even more pronounced. He sat cross-legged on the floor, in front of me. He reached out to touch my cheek, but I flinched away from him involuntarily. He pulled his hand back, face devoid of any emotion. He looked down at his lap, completely silent. I longed for him to speak again. The first time I heard him speak, first heard his voice, sent deep shivers down my spine. I opened my mouth to speak, but he spoke first.

"What is your name?" The simple question made my heart start beating hard again.

"Alice." I replied.

He smiled slightly and nodded, showing he heard me even though he didn't look at me.

"Yours?" I enquired meekly. He looked up, finally, and frowned.

"Jasper." Jasper, hmmm, I thought. It was nice to be able to put a name to the face, no matter how unusual the name may seem it suited him. My stomach growled then, to my embarrassment. He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me. I reached out hesitantly, and took it. I touched his hand accidentally. They were so cold, I thought my hand had turned to ice, but I had just frozen in shock. He reached out again to touch my face, and I let him. I closed my eyes and leaned into the touch. He added his other hand and studied my lips, I opened them slightly. I felt him stiffen, and then vanish. I opened my eyes and looked for him. I found Jasper on the other side of the room, eyeing me warily. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes at the amount of hurt I felt. I wasn't sure why I felt this way. Why should I care that this monster who killed my parents hated me? As if he could read my mind, he said in a gentle voice, like the breeze on a warm summer's day,

"Oh Alice, I don't hate you. You should hate me of all people; I took away your reasons for living, and took away your purpose. I have no right to dislike you! On the contrary…" He trailed off, not finishing his sentence. My stomach growled angrily again, and he pointed to the package. I opened it and found two sandwiches. I smiled and looked up to thank Jasper, but he was gone.

J POV

After bringing the human girl here, I locked her in a room with no windows. I could hear her heart beating enticingly, begging me to silence it, but there was something about her, her emotions that made me resist her blood. I came from my room to check on her, and saw Darren standing by her door.

"What are you doing here?" my eyes narrowed as I asked. He grinned sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. I growled at him and heard her scream. It calmed me down when I felt her fear. Then Scott came running into Darren who fell onto me. I pushed Darren off of me and stood up. The other two did the same and proceeded to argue. I hissed at them to break it up. They could feel the anger radiating off of me and obliged. I went back to the door and listened to her breathing. I entered the room and saw her sitting on the floor. I turned on the lights so she could see me. I saw her looking me over, and did the same to her. She was at least two feet shorter than me, had shoulder length black hair, and was pale. She was paler than any human I had seen, and her intuitive grey eyes were staring into mine observing my face. I felt the lust she sent towards me. Unknowingly or not, it was funny. I walked closer to her to see her better and heard her heartbeat double. The corners of my lips twitched. I sat cross-legged in front of her, observing. Her cheeks looked soft like silk in the dim light. I reached over as if to touch it, as if to see if it were as soft as it looked. She flinched away from me involuntarily. I felt the regret, whether mine or hers, I did not know. I took my hand back. I looked into my lap, embarrassed by my sudden weakness. I could feel her emotions again. They were sad, afraid, and …longing? What was she longing for? All of a sudden, I felt the sudden urge to know more about her. What made her laugh? What made her cry? I didn't even know her name!

"What is your name?" I ask her quietly. She doesn't answer me for a while, and I wonder if she even will when she responded.

"Alice." Alice. So simple, yet beautiful. It suited her. I smiled and nodded, not looking at her. I heard her shift uncomfortably on the floor. There was a sense of nervousness coming off of her.

"Yours?" she enquired shyly. I frowned, why should she care what my name was? I was holding her prisoner here and yet we were talking as if we were taking a pleasant walk in the park.

"Jasper." I replied. She felt satisfied. Her stomach growled, and embarrassment flew off her in powerful waves. I resisted smiling and handed her the food I had bought for her. She took it hesitantly, accidentally brushing my hand. Alice was shocked, but she relaxed. I reached out to touch her face again, and this time, she let me. She closed her eyes and leaned into my touch. I so wanted to kiss her. What? My mind screamed. I used my other hand to touch her lips. I traced them and felt how smooth and soft they were. She parted them slightly and the scent that was her left between her lips. I felt myself leaning in closer. The venom pooling in my mouth…

I leaned away as fast I could and ended up on the opposite side of the room. I looked at her warily, seeing her reaction. She had tears welling up in her eyes and the amount of hurt she was radiating was shameful to me. I hurt this beautiful creature. I truly am a monster. She was hurt, scared, and most of all she felt unwanted. The last emotion, I knew, was because of my hasty retreat. I came closer to her and tried to soothe her in my most gentle voice.

"Oh Alice, I don't hate you. You should hate me of all people; I took away your reasons for living, and took away your purpose. I have no right to dislike you! On the contrary…" I think I love you. Not that I could speak those words. But it was true; I could not kill her and let no one else near her. Her stomach growled again, breaking my train of thought. I pointed to the bag I gave her earlier. Before she could thank me, I ran out of the room.

I found myself in the same position I had been prior to the visit. Leaning against her door, listening to her heartbeat.