A/N Hello! I woke up to reviews and have decided to take a few into consideration. I will summarize the majority of her childhood but put some details in for significant events. Then, we will move into Bella's POV for her eighteenth birthday! As far as updates, I'm not sure how much I will actually post but I want you guys to know I will be writing every day.
Chapter 2 – A Child Grows Up
JPOV
When Isabella was an infant, I used to take her to the compound for weeks at a time. Renee used to come along as well, to feed her. If I could have fed her myself, I would have. I didn't like anyone else near her when she was in my study with me. I would hold her, and a heavy wool blanket would be in between us. I guess a cold vampire will make a baby cold, so I followed Carlisle's advice about the blankets. When she was asleep, I could get some work done. When she was awake, however, I would whisper to her about the future I was planning. I would do anything to see her baby cheeks get bigger with a smile, and that little giggle she had was the best music in the world.
Seeing her whenever I wanted was supposed to be permanent. It really was. Unfortunately, I royally fucked it up. Let me explain something before I tell you how. When vampires are true mates, their bodies make the blood inside taste sweet to their partner. If you bite your vampire- or human- mate, and their blood is bitter, you should probably start looking for the next one. Humans' blood does this for their vampire mates because this is like finding a soulmate. The process of changing salt into sugar in humans is this process. When a human is changed into a vampire, this process changes to changing the blood they consume into a sweet drink for their mate.
Now for the fuck up. When Bella had just turned four, still far too young to remember anything in great detail, she called me Jazzy. She concocted that name with all the love in the world for me. At that time, I was a father figure with her, and I was okay with that. I was her silent protector, following the car that would take her home two hours to her home in a suburb of Dallas on foot. This is also the age I forced myself to stop seeing her. I made her family move out of state. Convinced that Arizona was the best place for them, I put a ban on any vampire travel to the state. You may be wondering what on earth made me go to this extreme, and when you hear, you will agree it was the best choice for her- I wasn't her protector anymore, I could have easily become her murderer.
She was playing in my study one afternoon. Rosalie and Emmett were in for a meeting. They were both very close to Isabella. Everyone in my Court was. She was a little angel to everyone. She was social, and always asked every single person she could find for cookies, which were her absolute favorite food. She was starting to get into things but I was too busy talking to Rosalie and Emmett to really pay much attention to her. "Jazzy, Uncle Emm, Aunt Rose! Look what I have!" With a giggle, I saw she was holding a glass orb that usually stood on one of my bookshelves. She had to have climbed to get it, she was too small to have just reached it. "Isabella. Put that down. Now. Give it to me." I thought she would listen, but instead she smiled and screamed "NO!" She started running toward the door, probably to run around the fortress I called a house until she ran into Alice, Edward, or Charlotte.
She didn't make it that far. I boomed at her, "ISABELLA." I stood up, though looked down at some papers on my desk, figuring she couldn't get out of the door fast enough to make it past me. As soon as I looked down, I heard a shattering, banging, and crying. I looked up and saw something I couldn't wait to feed on. The glass orb had shattered, and a piece had gone into her hand. Farther up her arm, another piece had scraped her, leaving a beautiful crescent-shaped cut that oozed with blood. Before I could stop myself, I was on her, feeding on her blood. I tried as hard as I could to stop but the vampire in me wouldn't let me. Time slowed down immensely. Emmett and Rosalie have the best temperament for blood out of any vampire I had ever seen, as Emmett quickly got me into a chokehold, and Rosalie scooped Bella up and ran as fast as she could out of the room. Emmett screamed in my ear, asking what the hell I was thinking, telling me she could have died.
For the next few hours, everything was still. The glass orb was not cleaned up, and the blood from it was still slowly dripping onto the Tiger fur rug I had hunted and killed myself. Emmett was sitting with me, thumbing through his phone and waiting for Rosalie's call. As soon as it came, I was on my feet listening intently. Thanks to my hearing, I caught everything. "She's okay. I took her to Carlisle in Austin. He got the glass out and she had to get three stitches on her hand. Five in her arm. It was quite the cut, Emm… I'm so glad he didn't- well, you know. Renee and Charlie came and picked her up. Carlisle thought that was best." Emmett looked at me when Rosalie said the last part, and I quietly nodded, a look of defeat no doubt on my face.
Two weeks after the incident, I called Charlie and arranged for him to come pick up money that would help him move to Arizona. The same conversation took place when I moved him and Renee to Texas from their small town life in Washington. "Charlie. You know that everything I do is in her best interest," I couldn't even say Isabella's name. "You will move." Charlie retorted with the same thing he said when he left Washington, "You know I can't just leave my job! Where will I find work? I've climbed the ranks here, Jasper." I rolled my eyes and gave my final answer, "Alice will accompany you to Arizona. You will tell Isabella that she is an Aunt living with y'all. This is the final say on the matter. You will move. I will give you enough money to last several years without work. Additionally, Alice has access to the compound's funds and will help you in any way you need."
Charlie and Renee moved, knowing well enough not to disobey me. Each year that passed was a filled with calls from Alice every other day regarding Isabella. Alice told me that Isabella no longer asked about me, after I demanded she be punished when she did ask. I didn't want her childhood to go like this but the faster she got her memories of me out of system, the better. Every year a new birthday card filled with a handwritten letter and hundreds of dollars went sealed but unsent in my desk drawer. I loved my mate, and wanted to give her everything I could. I wanted to wish her a happy birthday every year, and so I did. I also wanted her to be safe from me. I didn't know where Alice moved the family to, and I went searching one time.
When Isabella was seven years old, I ran to Arizona in a fit of rage. Vampires were not allowed to be there, yet some decided to dwell dangerously close to my mate. I didn't know exactly how close at the time, though Alice seemed very concerned that they knew where she was. What better way to kill the Warlord inside than kill his mate? They got to Renee, killing her, but Alice had grabbed Isabella and Charlie and ran with them all the way to Salt Lake City to escape. I killed the vampires, an act that let everyone in the vampire world know that I was not fucking around. After I killed them, I heard something very familiar. Charlie's voice. I ran toward it, not even a block away from the vampires. Inside of a bedroom window, a pink room with blue polka dots was illuminated by a single desk lamp. Isabella was snuggled warm in her bed, Charlie reading a tale about Santa Claus to her. Fuck, it was Christmas Eve. I stayed and watched for a while, holding onto a tree branch until Isabella was almost asleep. I then jumped down and ran far beyond the backyard, to where Alice's scent led me. In a barren desert field, we had a conversation. "Jesus, Alice. Why didn't you tell me it was Christmas?" Alice snorted, "It's not my fault the Major can't remember dates. Yes, Jasper, I got her the teddy bear you requested I buy. The one with diamond eyes. It's from 'J.' don't worry, Jasper. She's doing great." I smiled at that, and left Arizona in high spirits. They weren't to last.
As soon as I got back to the compound, Peter, Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle caught up to me. "Jasper. They're coming. Maria has said for years that she would raise an army up against you. She feels that she deserves this power more than you do," Carlisle said. Peter went on, "The newborns are ready to fight. It's looking like she will be here in the morning." Perfect, I thought, A Christmas feast. "Okay. Peter, I want you to discuss the situation with Charlotte. The humans need to be safeguarded. No vampire from her army will enter the buildings. The bloodshed will be contained within the compound, is that understood?" I made the compound huge for a reason. In between Austin and Dallas, I bought myself several hundred acres. I bought out whole towns to use. Then, I built a wall. I paid the government money to keep it quiet. The days of the Volturi were over, and the high ranking government officials I told knew the truth about us. We agreed that we would keep Texas safe in exchange for land. We had done this in other states as well. Next time you see a huge compound that looks slightly like a jail, yet more glamourous, I probably own it. We have camps around the country keeping humans safe. My war is not against humans. It is against vampires that get in my way.
As dawn broke, I stood waiting. I had warned the governor about the impending danger, and he cleverly created an accident on major highways close to the compound in the night. With the highway shut down-no highway traffic nearby, and no cities to be seen, we were almost assured a zero human casualty fight. Maria walked to me, an army of hundreds following her. I guess she didn't take this seriously. I had an army of thousands. Maria strode up to me and offered her hand. Like the southern gentleman I am, I took it. "Maria, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Maria smiled, "Jasper Whitlock. I always loved your politeness, you know that?" I don't believe anything she says, but to be courteous, I smiled back. "Well, I sure do try. Is there anything I can help you with, ma'am?" She smirked, almost seductively, and whispered in my ear, "we could join you instead of fight you- if you take me as your queen." My gut churned. I was fully devoted to my now seven year old mate. I wondered if Maria knew about her but decided that she couldn't. No vampires that had knowledge of her existence and purpose were traitors. The few that had figured it out, like the coven in Arizona, had happened across Alice and deduced her reasoning for tightly guarding a human family. All of those covens were dead. I had made sure of it.
I snapped out of my thoughts and addressed Maria. "Actually, I have a mate, dear. I'm afraid you missed me by, well, seven years." Her face contorted. A look of confusion now shown like a reflection in a mirror. It was clear that her whole purpose in coming was not to fight me at all. I laughed softly. "My dearest Maria… You brought this," I looked past her at the mature vampires that had hardly any strength in them at all, "uh, army here to intimidate me. You were never planning to fight. You wanted to coerce me to make you my second half. You were too late, so now you will go back to hell, where you belong, and try to come up with another way to get your hands on the power you so desperately want yet I so effortlessly achieved." I was smirking in a sadistic way. She knew she had messed up. She huffed and shook her head, rage filling her eyes. She slapped me across the face, which I allowed. I would much rather see her get angry and bring me a real fight than destroy her now and miss out on fun. She left without another word, and I turned back to Peter. "Peter, I'm not sure she's gone for good. Edward is to join Alice in Arizona. They will wait until she is thirteen. Then, they will tell her they're vampires. I want her to know what to look for, Maria is ruthless. If she finds out Bella isn't here in this compound… I don't even want to think about it. As for immediate action, feed your 50 strongest newborns, and your 25 strongest mature vampires. They will guard the wall at all times for at least the week."
Peter nodded and turned toward the biggest building in the compound, the house. The house was nestled toward the middle of the compound. In front of it, a picturesque lake surrounded by a forest filled with animals for us to hunt. The lake was relatively big. It used to be a water source for a small town. It had a small gazebo on an island in the middle, and small boats on a dock at the shore. There was a small beach, large enough for a small party. It had a volley ball net in it. Charlotte came up to me next, awaiting her orders about the humans. "What shall I do about the living ones, sir?" Living ones? Sir? I smiled a bit at her, but cringed at the sir. "You should call me Jasper. You are the wife of one of my best friends, and you yourself are one of my most trusted advisors. As for the humans, I would like them to stay locked down for the time being. They can move around in their little village, but are absolutely to abide by your rules." The humans lived in the towns that my purchase engulfed. They were not the original citizens of the town, rather the product of breeding and less than 20 kidnappings. They each lived where they were assigned, and with whom they were assigned. During a lockdown, they were moved to the biggest town and assigned to live in state of the art vampire proof bunkers. I came up with the design myself. The walls make it impossible for even the smell of one hundred humans to escape.
I went into my study and wrote down everything I could about the army. What their eyes looked like, their stature. They weren't trained. Maria was lost without me by her side. They wouldn't be attacking me for a while.
Bella's POV
Last week, I turned fifteen. It's been two years since I learned about the truth of the world. I rebelled against the humans. Thinking I knew better, I ran off. It was my fifteenth birthday when I ran off. I stole Alice's car and just drove. Alice and Edward were out hunting, so I knew I had at least a little bit of time. I wasn't angry at anyone, I just wanted to know the truth. I've been on the run for about a week, though I know my time is limited out here. Eventually the trackers that Edward and Alice know will catch up to me, and take me back. For now, I'm in Phoenix. I'm using Alice's driver's license, and I cut my hair to make myself look more convincing as her. I have her credit card, which I use to make purchases. I make the purchases to look like I'm somewhere, then I run to the car and drive to the opposite side of the city. My father is a cop. He likes his job, and I'm pretty sure she has a notice out for the car. I have to be very careful around cops. Do nothing to attract their interest.
I was driving for a while when I saw a cruiser pull up behind me. The lights flashed, and I knew the gig was up. Shit. I pulled over and tried to look as confident as possible. It didn't work. I was arrested for grand theft auto, driving without a license, and other boring stuff. I was held in an individual cell given that I was a minor, and waited for my dad to show up. Except, it wasn't my dad that showed up. It was a man with sandy blonde hair that looked like it needed a brush through it. He had eyes like Alice and Edward's, and he was laughing with the police officers at the front desk when they brought me out to him. "Hey, have a good day, Jasper. Next time you're around, I want to tell you about the time I took down a 200 pound wrestler after his match!" exclaimed one officer, who was clearly a friend of this Jasper. He reminded me of someone in a dream I had once. I was told that the scar on my hand and arm were from a car accident I was in when I was young. I was also told that the crazy story I had made up of someone attacking me was a dream I had because the truth was too horrific for me to remember. While I only had a few stitches, my mother passed away in the crash. Alice and Edward's cousin, Rosalie happened to be in the area, and saved me but couldn't save my mother.
Jasper led me to a matte black Audi R8, where he opened the door for me to get in the passenger's seat. Once we started driving, I noticed that Phoenix was going farther away, and we weren't going toward my house. "Uh, Jasper? My house is the other way… Who are you by the way?" He looked at me, eyes black as the night sky, and hissed through his teeth, "I am a friend of Edward and Alice's. I am taking you home how I see fit. What were you doing away from your house?" I was confused. Why the hell did he care? "I-I don't know. I guess I just wanted to get out of the house for a little bit... Learn about the real world. I'm stuck in there except to go to school! I can't even see my boyfriend!" Jasper snapped. Immediately, and without another word, Jasper made a beeline to my house.
JPOV
After Isabella was inside, Alice and Edward came outside. Edward read Jasper's mind before Jasper had a chance to speak. "Jasper. The boyfriend is a situation we take very seriously. We have not had a chance to break them up yet, however. Please, trust us when we say we only just found out about this a week ago." Edward said. Jasper was shocked, a week ago? "Surely they were dating far before that," Jasper started, only to be interrupted by Alice, "Yes, she was. She admitted it to us but… well…" "Well what?" Barked Jasper. "Well," Edward started, "I can't read her thoughts. Alice can only see some parts of her future. Not at the school though. You know there are werewolves there. Alice can't see past them."
I was confused. They couldn't see her? I instantly figured out why. She was a blocker. One of the rarest gifts one can have, blockers are undoubtedly among the most prestigious of vampires. God damn, this woman was made for me.
I did know there were werewolves at her school. In fact, I knew them well. Descendants of the Apache tribe, they had turned due to presence of other vampires in Arizona. I went to meet with them, where they agreed to be on my side in the event of war. Most of the werewolves were on my side. The ones who weren't either hadn't been asked due to their small numbers, or had decided against it when I asked. I didn't kill them though. I simply didn't offer any safety in return for them.
Changing my focus back to the issue at hand, I looked at Alice. "Take care of this boy problem. No boyfriends. Not now, not ever. She's mine, Alice. I will not compete with a human." With that I was off. Back to Texas, back to not worrying for an entire week about the fate of my mate. My instructions to Edward had been clear. Though not spoken, I was very careful to think precisely. You are to punish her. No after-school activities for a month. No cell phone for a month. No television for a month. Fifteen licks across her ass. Make them hard. If I had decided to punish her, I would have killed her. I was as furious as I had ever been at her. It was also not my place to punish her. Yet.
When she was a young child, I would spank her for getting into things, but she knew me back then. Now, I had delegated that task to Edward and Charlie. Alice wouldn't hit her. She was too attached to her.
BPOV
I woke up easily enough today. It's my eighteenth birthday. Alice, as usual, had come in and ripped all the sheets off of me so that I would wake up faster. Charlie always followed her around asking why she had to wake me up like that, to which she always replied "Because, Charlie. I let her sleep in, and she needs to get to school." This morning, however, the sun was noticeably lower in the sky, and the view from my window looked more like overcast and clouds than dawn. I knew Alice had woken me up especially early by the fact that Charlie didn't follow her around like he usually does. "Alice, why?" Was all that I could muster. When I opened my eyes, Alice and Edward were standing over me, with a shadowed figure sitting at my desk, hidden by the darkness in that half of the room. Alice was holding a cupcake with a single candle on it. I have to give her credit, she really learned how to cook and bake when I was younger. "Happy birthday! It's a big one for you!" Alice piped, clearly excited. Did they not see the person behind them, who had now stood up and was carefully moving toward me? "Uh, who is that, guys?" Suddenly, he appeared. Jasper. I hadn't seen Jasper in three years. I certainly wasn't expecting to ever see him again. "Good morning, beautiful," Jasper said, "and happy birthday." He handed me an envelope with a birthday card inside of it. Inside of the card, he had put five $100 bills. I couldn't explain to myself why he was in my room. Clearly a vampire, but also clearly creepy. Dad walked up to the doorway and nodded toward Jasper. So they knew each other but I had only seen him once.
"Thanks everyone," I smiled, covering myself up in my blanket, "can I get dressed? I have school in," I checked my alarm clock, "holy shit five minutes!" I immediately shooed them away, to no avail. "Actually, you're done with school." Jasper was talking now. I was surprised he was the one speaking at all. I had just started my senior year, and was nowhere near proficient in calculus. "You'll be coming with me, to Texas. Alice and Edward will join us. Charlie, too, if he wishes." My dad shook his head, fighting back tears, "No, you know what I want." Jasper nodded. Alice could see the confusion in my eyes, and tried to reassure me "Bella, you don't have to worry about packing, everything is going to be sent to you that you need. You'll also have quite the selection of clothes in Texas, thanks to me, of course. Come on, get dressed quickly and we will explain everything in the car on the way."
Though I didn't know Jasper well, I trusted Edward and Alice with my life. They left the room to go talk to Charlie. I searched for my phone, aiming to text a few friends that I was leaving, but they had taken it. I got dressed and grabbed my Teddy Bear. It had diamond eyes and his name was J. J is, of course, affectionately named after the person who gave me J, in an anonymous Christmas gift when I was seven, just after my mother died. Alice used to spray J with her perfume to help me smell her when it was time to go to sleep. I walked downstairs and Alice grabbed my hand. "You're going to love it in Texas! You can have anything you want anytime you want it, and I think our rooms are next to each other." She smiled and lead me out to the car, here I would be taken to my new life. Confused and helpless, I got in the car. My helplessness was eased miraculously, and filled with content. Edward was driving, Alice was in the passenger seat, and Jasper was in the backseat with me, watching me intently.
Hopefully you guys liked that!
