Jasper POV

The delicious smell of human was a torture that I willingly subjected myself to on a daily basis. Every day I sit in class and act as if I could ever truly be part of their society. The only reason I even bother with this high school bullshit is because of my adoptive family, the Cullens. They think that going to school will help with blending in, which it does, but I am a 172-year old vampire who has earned one too many high schools diplomas. I could be out there looking for the cure to cancer, or practically anything thing else, and be a million times more productive. God, I have high school with an eternal passion.

I was suddenly broken out of my brooding by a sharp jab to my side. I turn and glare at the culprit, Edward. I can feel the amusement coming off him; he must have been eavesdropping on my thoughts about what shit school is. Have you been listening in on my thoughts, I think pointedly towards Edward.

His response is a single shrug, as if to say "What can I say, I'm a mind reader." He then proceeds to write a note that reads, "With you brooding so loudly, it was impossible not to overhear your thoughts."

Look, I don't care how loudly I was thinking, try harder to not eavesdrop. I then take a breath and pointedly look back at the front of the room where the history teacher stood spouting off inane, and inaccurate, facts. It only takes me a second to begin to feel guilty for snapping at my brother. I turn back and think, I'm sorry; I shouldn't have taken my bad mood out on you.

To make me feel even guiltier, Edward looks over with a look of understanding; Edward knows the real reason behind my bad mood. He slides over another note that asks, "Do you want to ditch school and go hunting?"

I reply with a look that reads clearly as "What do you think?" Great, now I just have to make it through this class and then I can get out of this hellhole. I feel another wave of amusement pass through Edward as he is once again made privy to the brooding of my internal ramblings.

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As soon and Edward and I are able to ditch school we head into the forest; we end up in a dreary clearing. The canopy is so thick that any sunlight that may exist in the dreary town of Forks is blocked out. There is moss growing up the sides of the trees, the rocks, and practically any object that was stationary in the clearly. What a perfect atmosphere for my mood, I think.

Edward and I make use of two boulders as impromptu chairs. "So," Edward starts hesitantly, "Do you want to acutely hunt or do you want to talk?"

With some thought I decide that it might feel better after talking to someone, besides whom better to talk to than my brother who already knows about her. "You know that today is the last day I saw my human wife, Bella, before I was turned," I begin, "I know that it is strange to feel such attachment to a human, but every time I think of her I just want to shut down.

"I wish that she was still here, right beside me, and that I could see her smile at any time of the day. I wish that I could just call her 'Isabella' one more time, just to get under her skin. I wish that I could hold her in my arms. I wish that I could smell the lavender from the body wash she used. I wish I could see her crinkle her nose in concentration. I wish – I wish," I could feel myself breaking, "I wish that I could tell her how much I love her."

We sit there in silence and Edward says the only thing he can, "I know." A couple of hours pass with Edward and I sitting across from one another without moving in complete silence.

I eventually break the silence and ask, "Do you still feel up for a hunt?"

"Of course," Edwards replies with a sad smile; he knows I am simply looking for a way to escape the pain I feel for the loss of my beloved Bella.

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Bella POV

I lie in the grass and watch the clouds drift by. Even after 171 years on earth, I find nature to be the most stable and calmest place for me. No matter what I could count on Mother Nature to remain the same, even during the toughest storms. Perhaps I enjoy nature so much because I grew up surrounded by endless tress, or perhaps I enjoy the freedom that it gives me. Here in the forest I am free to embrace my vampire nature without worry of revealing myself to the humans.

My reasoning for finding peace in nature in unimportant, I am just glad that I do, because if I did not, then I do not believe that I could survive this day. On this tragic day, 152 years ago, my soul mate Jasper Hale was killed in war. Many of my fellow vampires mock me for mourning the death of a mere human for so many years, but I know that Jasper was my soul mate. I know that I will never find another to fill the void created by his death.

I can feel the venom welling up in my eyes as I think of how different my life would be with Jasper in it. If he were here I could be happy and complete for the first time in a long time. As these thoughts of what-ifs fill circle through my mind I feel myself becoming overwhelmed with sadness. It is useless to fill your head with these thoughts, I tell myself. I don't know why I do this to myself every year on this particular date. All I do is work myself up and get stuck in the past. How pitiful.

As I lie in the grass, breathing in the smells and listening to the sounds of nature, I slowly relax once again. Staring at the clouds, imagining the different shapes, I allow myself to remember all the good times that Jasper and I shared. We had always been a happy couple, a perfect couple in the eyes of many, whose time together had been cut short.

The snapping of a twig, alerting me of the presence of another, broke me out of my musings. I tense up and prepare to defend myself. "It's just me," came the soothing voice of my coven mate and I relax. I roll onto my stomach and look up to see Laurent standing there in his forever present maroon blazer.

"Hey," I say, knowing the lecture that was about to ensure.

"The coven has been worried sick looking for you," Laurent begins.

Here we go again, I think, Perhaps I relaxed too soon.

"Bella cannot just run off without giving us any warning," he exclaims, "You know that there has been some conflict between our coven and the Charleston coven. We all thought that you had been kidnapped, but instead here you are daydreaming."

There is a silence in which, Laurent seems to be waiting for some sort of apology from me.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" He questions me.

I sit up, take a breath and begin, "I am sorry that I caused you and the coven to worry." There is a slight pause before I continue meekly, "But today is the day and I just wanted some alone time." Suddenly understanding dawns on Laurent's face as he realized what today's date is.

He sits down and pulls me in close; we sit in silence because Laurent understands that I want just one day to wallow in misery. Laurent sends a message to the coven to alert them that I am safe and that we will be out for while longer. I am thankful that Laurent keeps my comfort as the hours fly by and it becomes nightfall. As the sun sets, we stand up and prepare to run home to reunite with our coven.