Chapter One: Jack Pot

Alexis Slone ran a hand through her blond hair as she walked inside the community center and sat up her small table. Some of the citizens of the town had come together and decided that today they would make care packages for the troops over seas. Since Alexis's older brother Reed was serving in the army, she decided she would show her support. She sat up her table and flashed a bright smile on her face as she welcomed the people inside the small community building.

She was merely seventeen years old, and a senior in high school. Though she felt much older. She had always been told she was an old soul. She didn't do normal things a seventeen year old girl done. Instead of spending her weekends out shopping with her friends, or going out with the captain of the foot ball team, she volunteered at the local nursing home.

Alexis had always been more mature than her peers. She just didn't see the need in spending time on nonsense. She was top in her class, and strived to be perfect in school. Though, her education wasn't top priority to her, she just wanted to make her mom proud while she was in school. All she really wanted in life was a caring family that loved her. She didn't care if she worked at Wal-Mart for the rest of her life. A job and money didn't matter as long as she had a family behind her who loved her, and she could love in return.

She knew this was because she had become from a broken home. Her father had walked out on her mother when she was seven years old. He had actually been sleeping with her aunt, Vivian. When that happened, her mother took her and Reed and moved away to a rainy town in Maine. She hated her father now. Hated the choices he made in life, and thought he was absolutely disgusting

She had a half sister/cousin named Alison, who she refused to speak to or about. She didn't want to take it out on the child, but she just thought that was very insane. She was embarrassed to even talk about it when people asked. How was you suppose to explain your father had cheated on your mother with your aunt, and now they had a family and lived just peachy in southern California?

Her mother had done an excellent job at attempting to salvage the family, but some things just couldn't be fixed. She moved Alexis and Reed across the country, but that couldn't take away from the pain they had endured. Alexis hadn't saw her father in four years, and she wanted to keep it that way.

An elderly woman approached her table, and shook her out of her thoughts. She smiled at the woman as she placed some baby wipes and other things down on the table.

"It's good to see the youth getting involved." The woman stated.

Alexis smiled, "It's my job. I have a brother who is overseas."

"God Bless him." The woman said, and then moved on to the next table.

Alexis smiled, and then looked towards the door as another family came forward. After she saw the first few people walk in, she knew instantly that they had hit the jack pot. The Cullen family, who had moved here just last year, walked in with several boxes in their hands. The family included nine or ten people. She didn't even know the correct number, she just knew they were very large. Some of them attended college, while some attended high school with her. The father figure of the family was a doctor, and she had no clue what the mother done. She just knew they were extremely quiet and kept to themselves.

"Hello Alexis." Bella Cullen greeted her with a warm smile.

She glanced up into the warm topaz colored eyes of Bella. She shared English with her, and thought she was one of the nicer Cullen kids. She was dating Edward though, which Alexis thought was very weird.

"Hi Bella."

"We brought a few things to help the cause." Bella said.

Alexis smiled warmly and appreciated everything the Cullen's brought over to her table. She noticed the shorter spikey haired Cullen staring at her. Her name was Alice, and she hadn't really spoke to her at all since they had been here. She just starred at her from time to time, and sometimes Alexis would notice her sending dirty looks. Her boyfriend, Zander Cullen, wrapped his arm around her and pulled her away from the table. Alexis didn't know what to think about the situation.

Jasper Hale sighed as he looked over at Peter and Charlotte, his friends who he had been living with for the past five years. He missed everyone of his family terribly, but he didn't know if he was ready to face Alice and her new boyfriend. He still couldn't believe things between the two of them had turned so sour.

"Jazz, we're going out hunting. Would you like to join?"

"No thanks, Peter."

His friend and wife left, leaving him there in the small cabin to deal with his emotions. Five years ago, Alice had a vision of him with a new mate. He tried to convince her that he would never leave her, no matter what her visions said. She didn't believe him. He knew it wasn't because the vision she had about him. It was because she had a vision about her. She had met a male about three months after her vision of Jasper's mate, and fell in love with him. She divorced Jasper, and married Zander not even a month later. Jasper was devastated and moved away from the family, unable to be around them.

During his first year of living with Peter and Charlotte, he stopped feeding off animals and returned back to a human diet. Though, after a year of feeling off humans and feeling what they felt as they died at his mercy, he decided to return back to animals. After that experience, he decided that it was never worth feeding off an human again. He has built up excellent self control over the past few years, and knew he could once again live among humans. He just didn't know if he was ready for that or not.

He glanced over at a picture sitting on his night stand. It was of his family. The family he missed so much. Esme's smiling face made him cringe as he thought about how much pain his departure had brought her. She had been such an amazing mother figure to him, and he just couldn't stay for her.

He looked at each and every family member. Little Nessie, and lovely Bella. Rosalie and Emmett. Edward, and Carlisle. They all meant to much to him. Then he starred at the woman who broke his heart. Mary Alice Brandon Cullen. He shook his head as he thought about her in another mans arms. It pained him deeply. He loved her, and he allowed some vision to change that. She doubted that they could change the future.

She doubted him.

He knew she was in the arms of another man now, probably at this very moment. He also knew that he was moved on from her. Over time, his heart had healed. He did still love her, but he knew a future with her was no more. He sighed, it had been five years. It was finally time to return home to his family.