Part I

FIRST SIGHT

(Jasper's POV)

It was a fortnight since I had left Peter and Charlotte, a week since hunting. I tried to pay no attention the humans walking around me, but to no avail. As I walked along the sidewalk the scent of human blood made my throat itch. A small girl whose blood smelled of roses walked past me, I could imagine her warm blood spilling down my throat, how easy it would be to pull her away from her mother's hand. Abruptly I turned and walked in the other direction. Not only could I imagine the taste of the girl's blood but I could also imagine her feelings. Fear. I no longer wanted to feel the emotions of my prey.

I continued to walk the streets of downtown Philadelphia. Eventually, I found myself in front of a small diner. The neon sign flashed in the growing darkness. Few people were inside. A long bar stretched across the entire restaurant and booths lined the walls. I immediately stiffened. A female vampire was sitting at the bar. Her head swiveled and watched me enter. She climbed down off the barstool and walked towards me.

"You've kept me waiting a long time," she was unlike anyone I had ever met. I relaxed, she did not mean to attack, I could tell from her emotions, which were unlike anything I had ever encountered. 'Sureness' the only word to describe how she felt.

"I'm sorry ma'am." I bowed my head towards her. She held out her hand. I did not hesitate in reaching for it. For the first time in almost a century I felt hope.

She lead me out of the diner, "I'm Alice. And you are Jasper Whitlock Hale."

"How do you know my name?" I asked.

"I can see the future." She said it like it was an insignificant fact in the grand scheme of things. Her emotions were complex, yet simple at the same time. Love. She was also anxious and hopeful, but dotted among her emotions was a subtle feeling that everything was 'sure.' "I've seen you coming for a long time."

"What do you mean?" I asked her. I felt vibes pulse through her body. But I could not tell what they were; they came so fast and left before I could pick them apart.

"You and I, we're meant to be together." I could feel that she knew what she had said was true. And I believed Alice; she was too 'sure' to be contradicted. For once, I allowed the feelings of another to control me. Still holding her hand, Alice led me away from the core of the city.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To our new family." Alice responded matter-of-factly. I paused to admire her. She had medium length black hair and her eyes were slightly golden. Her frame was petite, and I guessed that she was around my 'human' age.

"Family?" I questioned.

"Do you notice that my eyes are golden?" She asked, staring intently at me.

"Yes. I have never seen anything like them. Why are they like that?" Alice hopped forward a step and stopped.

"It's going to rain soon," her eyes were trained in my direction but she stared through me. The urban sprawl was thinning as we began to enter the suburbs. "I only hunt animals." Alice answered, she started walking again and I jogged a step to catch up.

"You don't drink human blood?" It never occurred to me that the blood of animals could quench my thirst.

"You'll come!" Alice's face had gone blank again and once she regained cognition she threw her arms around me. Her small body felt good wrapped around my figure. She pulled away and continued her story, "I haven't for a very long time. And our family doesn't either."

"Who is the family you speak of?"

"The Cullens. I've only seen them in my visions. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Edward and Rosalie. Right now they live in Alaska. They hunt animals as I do." It started to rain. I lifted my face to the night sky and let the drops roll down my marble face.

"You were right, it's raining," For the first time in a very long time I laughed.

"I told you so," Alice giggled. "Come on," she said tugging at my hand, "Let's hunt."

Alice led me the rest of the way out of the city and into the forest. Once we were under the cover of the trees we ran deeper into the woods.

"It's different from hunting humans, the animals can put up quite a fight," Alice explained, "And of course their blood doesn't taste the same." Alice let go of my hand and pointed in the distance. A white-tailed deer stood between two trees. "Watch me."

I underestimated the strength of Alice; she was agile and graceful. In a matter of seconds she was on top of the deer, her teeth sunk into its neck and the deer collapsed. Alice continued to drink, draining the deer of all its blood. I ran to her side and brushed the blood off her cheek.

"Come on," she said, "I don't know when the next time we'll be able to hunt is, so fill up."

I scouted the forest for prey, eventually finding an elk. Better than nothing. I thought to myself. I crouched and threw my self at it, biting into its neck. The blood was warm and flooded down my throat. It was bitter; I cringed. I finished drinking and licked the blood from my lips. At least I didn't feel the effects of the elk's emotions, but the taste was disgusting.

"Some animals are better than others," Alice said coming up from behind me.

"Do they ever taste better?" I asked.

"Nothing will compare to the taste of human blood."

"I feel can feel the emotions of others," I told her, "I don't want to feel the fear of the humans I kill."

"I knew that you had a gift, I just didn't know what it was," Alice said, "That must be horrible." Alice swelled with pity for me, but I pushed it out of her system.

"Don't feel sorry for me. My gift is a useful tool at sometimes."

"What did you just do?" Alice asked me.

"I can manipulate emotions as well as read them." I spotted another deer. "Let's get this one together." I said, but Alice was one step ahead, I raced after her and we continued to hunt.

***