Thanks to StraightEdgeQueen for the review. Thanks to those who already added it to thir fav stories and to those who added it to the story alert. I know the Prolouge was vauge but ti is supposed to be that way...lol. But thanks anyways. I hope you enoy this chapter and please, if you have 5 seconds to spare, send me line. Everyone loves feedback. :)
They loved each other like normal families did. They stood up for one another. They protected each other. They even had their differences and fights like a normal family. But the Cullen's and The Hale's were not your everyday average family.
Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme adopted five children. Five teenagers. Five children that definitely could not be their own. Of the five only three held the doctor's namesake.
Edward, Emmett and Alice Cullen.
The other two, the twins Jasper and Rosalie, were The Hale's. Of course, like I said, they were not blood related. They posed as twins. It was the blonde hair and striking good looks that helped them look the part of siblings.
Posed, you ask?
Well, here's the not so normal thing about this supposed normal family.
They are vampires.
Yep, vampires.
No, they don't have fangs. They don't cringe at the site of a cross or clove of garlic. They don't explode in the sunlight and they cannot be killed with a stake through the heart. Their pale white skin does not bubble when it's touched with holy water either.
Bummed yet? I know I was.
No, these are not your everyday average vampires. Instead of exploding in the sunlight, they glitter. Yes, glitter. To kill them you have to literally tear them apart and burn them. If you don't burn the pieces, they will start crawling back together. Trust me, it's creepy. And the weirdest thing of it all?
They don't kill humans.
Vegetarians. Their words, not mine.
They only feed on animals. Yes, they are completely ass backwards from humans in every way. But it's safer this way. I'd much rather see a poor bear suffer then my best friend or teacher.
I'll explain more about this later though. It gets pretty in depth and I'm pretty sure you want to get on with this story. So let's get started.
"Are we hunting this weekend?" Emmett asked as he strolled into the kitchen. Emmett, of all the children, was by far the biggest. All of them were strong but Emmett personified words like big, tough and intimidating. No one, except maybe Rosalie, looked more intimidating than Emmett.
It was quite hard to be around humans and be hungry at the same time. It's just a fact. They didn't kill humans nor did they want to but you can't deny what you feel. Vampire's craved human blood, it's inevitable. Animal blood only did so much for them and Emmett knew some had more difficulties sticking to the diet than everyone else did.
His question was simple and although everyone knew the real context of it, Edward heard it for himself.
I'd hate to have a massacre on the first day of school. Talk about a memorable day for the freshman.
Edward Cullen, the resident mind reader of the family, growled at his brother's thought. Emmett heard this and looked over to the counter where the said honey blonde mind reader sat.
I didn't see you there. He sighed and Edward smirked.
"We weren't planning on it." Carlisle spoke calmly in his fatherly voice. He didn't need the ability to read minds to know what was going on. It was no secret that the newest member to the family had a problem with his diet. He had never messed up in his time with them but it was very hard for him.
Jasper Hale had a past. A very tough and tragic past. He was not born into the vegetarian lifestyle like the rest of the family. He was born into a completely different environment. All the scars on his body were a constant reminder of that past. He had helped shed more blood than the rest of the family could think about.
And it wasn't animal blood.
Jasper knew it was a clear show of concern but that didn't take away from the aggravation he felt. He absolutely hated it when they talked about him without acknowledging him or asking him anything.
Tell them I'll be fine. We just went this weekend. Jasper mentally whispered, knowing all too well who would hear him. Edward looked over to the blonde man next to him and nodded once. Edward was always willing to be Jasper's voice. Mainly because Jasper wasn't one for a lot of words.
"Jasper will be fine." Edward told them casually, as Jasper had requested. "And though I'm sure he appreciates the thought and concern, we need not doubt him. If he wasn't sure, he'd let us know." Emmett shrugged his broad shoulders as he walked over to Rosalie, who eyed Jasper warily.
Just making sure. I don't want anything to happen to him. Emmett thought and Edward nodded again. None of them meant to let Jasper think that he was weak but they wanted to make sure nothing bad happened. If something were to happen, there's no telling what it would do to Jasper. He had worked so hard to maintain this lifestyle.
One slip up could ruin it all. And Jasper would be gone.
The tension broke when the last Cullen drifted into the kitchen. Edward suspected Jasper had a hand in that break but he wasn't sure. What Edward did know was that Jasper did not want every single last one of his siblings worrying about him.
This was another thing they should have considered. Alice.
If she saw anything bad or iffy, she'd tell them. There's no way she would let Jasper, or anyone of them for that matter, walk into a deathtrap. No pun intended. She spent way too many years waiting for Jasper and then years after that trying to help him cope with the new lifestyle.
"Good morning everyone." she smiled brightly and danced over to the counter between Edward and Jasper. She was the bubbly one of them all. There were very few times that Alice worried or unhappy, it just wasn't Alice. She was also the tiniest of them all. She didn't look like she could take out another vampire but she could.
She took her seat and then noticed the light tension in the air.
What's wrong?
"It's nothing Alice." Edward lied, not wanting to start the subject up again.
"Alright, keep your abilities to yourselves." Esme smiled and pointed to the clock behind her. "Hurry, you'll be late."
"Yay!" Rosalie feigned excitement and grabbed her bag off the table. "Yet another year of high school learning the exact same thing we've learned only a billion times." Emmet smirked and pulled her into a big hug, trying to calm her down.
"Oh come on, at least you always pass." he teased but she didn't find it funny.
"After this, me and you are doing our own thing." she warned him and he sighed. Rosalie didn't know but he'd rather repeat high school over and over again. He didn't find too much joy and fun in posing as a newly married couple. Most of the time they moved away from their family and lived by themselves. Going the high school route you had your family there and Emmett enjoyed being around the humans. He thought they were funny.
"Oh it'll be okay, Rose. Things won't be so bad." Alice smiled and hooked an arm with the pretty blonde. Then she pursed her lips together. "Though I'm not sure Emmett will like his last class."
Oh no. Came Emmett's worried thought. "What is it Alice?" he demanded and she smiled wickedly.
"You'll just have to find out and pray you get to the office before everyone else for a schedule change." she told him and looked to Edward for a split second. Edward couldn't hold back the laughter when the image of Emmett in the school's music class, singing in his deep unflattering voice filled his head.
"Edward!" Emmett yelled. Edward continued to laugh and before anyone knew it, both Cullen boys were on the ground wrestling. Alice, Rosalie and Jasper stood back and laughed as the two tossed each other around. Even Esme and Carlisle couldn't find an excuse to scold them.
Jasper smiled at his work and slowly pulled his bag over his shoulder. He felt much better when everyone else wasn't so worried or tense.
"Well, let's get this ball on the roll." Carlisle grinned and pointed to the garage door.
I told you they weren't a normal family. They were vampires and some had powers. If you haven't fully grasped the concept of their abilities. I'll give you the gist of it.
Edward can read minds. All day long he has the faintest of voices in his head. For the most part he ignores them. He sees it as an invasion of privacy and so do the others sometimes. So unless he senses some danger or unless it's directed to him, he stays away from it.
Alice can see the future, to an extent. She has visions of the future but they are not set in stone. Things change. She can only see one's future if a decision is made and the vision changes when the decision does.
And Jasper.
Jasper is an empath. He feels what everyone else is feeling, which sucks at times. He can also manipulate those feelings. He, like Edward, refrains from doing that unless it is necessary. He does not like making people feel a certain way but like that morning, it was way too tense for him.
And if anyone is wondering...Yes, Emmett and Rosalie are together. That also adds to the not so normal family. People in town looked at that in different ways. Some thought it was okay because they were not blood related and others thought it was repulsive.
If they only knew, right?
Anyways, there's my two cents. Let's bet back to the story.
Alice was right. Emmett hated his 4th period music class. Luckily for him though, he made it to the front of the line to change his class. He was happy with a 4th period Spanish class but Ms. Osaka warned him that he would need to take Music next semester. So for now his siblings were to rest easy knowing that they did not have to hear him complain about music class and the class itself was free from hearing him sing.
"So what's yours?" Alice asked as she and Jasper stepped out of the front office. Jasper tilted his head just a little and looked down at the tiny girl next to him.
"You already know that." he told her quietly. Jasper was not a man of many words and when he did speak you had to listen very carefully. Alice, Rosalie and Esme hated this about him. They wished he talked more. They loved to hear him talk. It was the southern accent he possessed. They loved it. Emmett and even Carlisle had, on many occasions, tried to speak with one but instead of making their significant others swoon, they laughed. Every man in that house had their own way with the woman and only Jasper could use his accent. No one could be Jasper. He was just a simple man.
"Yes, but we're in school now, Jazz. We need to act human." she told him softly. "So hand me your class list, mister." Jasper sighed deeply and pulled his class list out from his pocket. She smiled at him as she took it and opened it up.
1st Period – Art II – Mr. Hammond
2nd Period – Senior Literature – Mrs. Lawrence
3rd Period – Physics – Mr. Campbell
4th Period – French III – Mrs. Habersham
"Humm, I have 11th Lit. with Edward and Mr. Johnson. History with Mrs. Cannady. Biology with Mr. Hansen and then Spanish, now with Emmett, with Mr. Casagrande." she recanted and looked over at Jasper. "No classes with me this year, Jazz. I'm gonna miss you." she smiled and handed him his list back. He looked over at her warily and then quickly looked away.
"Don't worry I have 1st and 2nd with Rosalie. I'm sure I can handle the rest of the day by myself." he whispered, immediately thinking of this morning and how everyone was so worried about him.
"I didn't mean it that way." she told him forcefully, knowing that he took her statement the wrong way. She didn't like hovering over Jasper when she didn't need to. And she, of all people, knew when to hover or not.
"Where's Rose?" Jasper asked, tying to change the subject. He could now feel her frustrations. He didn't like going off like that but today had already been enough for him.
"She's on her way." she told him quickly and stepped in front of him when he went to turn away. "But listen, I know we all can be pretty annoying and protective but we don't want anything bad to happen Jazz. If something bad happens, we could loose you." she told him in a near whispered. He looked everywhere but at her. She grabbed his arm and he reluctantly looked down at her.
"I know." he whispered. "But do you see anything bad happening?" he asked her quietly. She shook her head left to right and he smiled just a little. "Then what is there to worry about, Alice?" She frowned and he lightly nudged her in the direction of her first class. "Go to class, I'll wait for Rose."
"One thing before I go." she said holding up one tiny finger. Jasper raised a brow when a surge of excitement rushed through her. Usually this feeling in Alice was not unusual but this time it was accompanied by nerves. He had a feeling that he wouldn't like this one thing. "Since it's a new school year and all, I was thinking maybe this weekend we could go and celebrate the ending of the first week."
"Celebrate?" he asked hesitantly. Alice and celebrate was never a good time for him. She always went far out and he didn't like far out. Jasper liked reserved and simple.
"Yes, like go to Seattle or Port Angeles. Or even Portland." she smiled and crushed her books to her chest as she gushed about whatever it is she had in mind. Jasper couldn't help himself this time, he had to smile. That only made her more excited.
"What exactly do you have in mind, Alice?" he asked and suddenly the excitement was gone. She mumbled something unintelligible while she faked a cough. Jasper frowned at this. "Alice." he demanded, in the authoritative voice he hadn't used in nearly forever, and she sighed.
"I wanna go shopping." she huffed and looked up at him sadly. "I want some new clothes. You should want some new clothes. There's nothing wrong with that, ya know?" she ranted as Jasper sighed. If there was one thing that Alice loved, it was shopping. She could shop forever, literally. She had done it for decades so why stop now?
"Alice, I hate shopping." Jasper told her calmly. He wasn't fully lying though. He didn't mind shopping. He liked clothes and good clothes at that but he didn't like buying those clothes when Alice was there. He'd be there for the day instead of just a couple hours.
"You hate shopping with me." she restated for him. Jasper smirked and shook his head.
"No, I just hate shopping." he told her again. Guilt overrode his calm demeanor and he frowned. "Ask Edward, he's been wanting new shoes."
"Fine." she sighed and looked at her watch. "I'll see you later, Jazz."
Jasper stood in the middle of the walkway outside the office and looked around at the people that were around him. Some days he wanted to leave this town and this high school persona. The feelings he felt form high school students were ten times worse than the feelings he got at home. In a high school full of human teenagers you got anger, joy, nervousness, lust, love, jealousy, anxiety...the list could go on. It was very hard on Jasper but he knew this was life. It was not his life but it was the life of a teenager.
Suddenly, a very familiar feeling came across him. He wasn't sure who it was but it was certainly someone from his household.
They were worried about someone.
"I'm fine." he spoke and slowly turned around to see Rosalie. She smiled sheepishly and stepped beside him, holding her arm out for him.
"How did you know?" she asked as he hooked an arm with her.
"I felt your worry." he told her. "It's quite familiar now. More common in the past two weeks actually." Rosalie frowned and looked over at her brother. She, of all people, could be the rudest and most pessimistic person in the world. And she never would deny it. She was also given a slap in the face when she was still human. She wanted so bad to have the life that every girl dreamed of and in one day, the day that was supposed to be the happiest of her life, it was all taken away. She was burned and some of the still lingered. She was a bitter person most of the time. She did things for all the wrong reasons and she was stubborn as hell. But when it came to Jasper things were different.
Everyone though for sure that she would shun him because of his past and his troubles but she didn't. He had a past like hers. A painful one. It's what they had in common. They bonded over that, not publicly or even verbally, but they bonded. It was her decision to pose as twins. She felt a special connection with Jasper and she loved him. She wanted what was best for him and there was no way that she was going to loose him. So if that meant that she had to be a bitch 24/7, she would. As long as it kept Jasper with her. Her brother.
But aside from rudeness and bad qualities, Rosalie was a strong, independent, loving woman. She never let anyone put her down, she loved someone with all her heart and she didn't rely on anyone. Not everyone, male or female, can say that. Jasper loved her in all her bitchy glory. That was his sister.
"We mean well. We really do, Jazz." she told him softly and squeezed his arm. He nodded once and looked down the hallway that was now starting to empty.
"I know. Trust me, I know." he assured her.
"Why not?" she hissed, her eyes glued to the nearly bald man at the front of the classroom.
"Because I don't want to." Edward hissed back, trying not to loose his cool. If he knew that first class would be this much agony, he would have skipped. He really didn't like the idea of an overly grumpy teacher on the first day of school and the annoying little brunette that sat next to him. It wasn't a good combination.
"You never want to." she whined and looked over at him. She put on her best pout but it didn't faze her brother.
"And yet here you are asking me again." he smirked, tapping the end of her nose with his pencil.
"I'm persistent." she declared.
"You're annoying." he corrected and looked back to the front of the class.
"You're not nice." Alice frowned while crossing her arms.
"Seriously, why do you ask?" he asked. "Can't you see that I'm going to say no?"
"Things change." she whined again.
"So does that mean you did see me say no?" Edward chuckled.
"Answer the question Edward." she demanded and his laughter stopped.
"No. For the billionth time, I don't want to go shopping with you." he growled and once again moved his eyes off of her.
"You're mean." she accused and also turned her attention to the teacher. Neither really paid attention. It was history class. They knew all about this and more.
After a few minutes of silent treatment from Alice, both verbally and mentally, Edward sighed.
"I'm sorry if I'm being rude or pompous but your horrible when you shop." he told her softly and waited for her response but when there was non he continued. "You try on fifty million things and maybe buy two shirts. And half the time you can't find the right size so we spend extra time going to find needles and thread to fix them ourselves or going to get them tailored to fit you." he finished and finally looked over at her. He immediately stiffened and reached out to touch her. Her eyes were fixated into the nothingness of the classroom and her body was still. He knew this look all too well.
She was having a vision.
"Alice, what is it?" he whispered. Alice shook out of her trance and looked over at him confused.
"I don't know." she admitted. Edward copied her confused look when she let him see her vision.
It was nothing. Literally. All he saw was a bright white light. He tried to make out any kind of figure but there was nothing.
"You didn't see anything else?" he asked quietly. Alice shook her head and sighed. "It's alright. Maybe it was nothing." he said and tried to comfort her but he stiffened again.
"What?" Alice asked. Edward gathered both of their books and pulled her out of her seat as he stood up. She scrambled to find her feet, which was unusual, and stared at him. "Edward?"
"It's Jasper." he mumbled and both of them shot out the classroom as the bell rang. Fear and panic rushed through her tiny body. Did she miss a vision? Did she not see something? Was he hurt? Was someone else hurt?
Was someone dead?
This day could be the worst one yet
I just won't relax, I can't catch my breath
Because I'm sick and tired of 'You'll be alright.'
Well, how do you know? Can you read minds?
-Stranger Inside by Shinedown
