Disclaimre: Blah-blah-bl-blah, blah-bl-blah-bl-blah. There, that about covers it, I think. Here's chapter Four. And again, if anyone is reading this, THANK YOU! And hope you are at least getting a little enjoyment out of it.

Chapter Four: Vampires?

"There," she sighed. "Isn't that better?" I wasn't exactly sure what she meant by "better", but it was nice to be outside and away from that smelly, noisy, and mostly empty diner. I looked around, and sniffed. Fresh scents filed the air. But that other, slightly bothersome sickly-sweet smell still lingered as well. Just not quite so badly out here in the open.

"Now you can hunt! There must be some nice rabbits or squirrels here. I'll help you catch them. I'm not hungry—I ate before I went back to the diner to wait for you some more."

I looked at her face closely, and she flashed her bright, happy smile back at me. She looked all right. "Now I'm confused. Let me see if I've got this right: You dragged me out of a perfectly good diner to come out to a park and hunt rabbits?"

She nodded, and now she looked slightly confused. "Well, yes. I just didn't want you to-cause a scene. I know you're very hungry, and I thought if I brought you here you could hunt and no one would know. Aren't you hungry?"

"Yeah, I'm famished! But, I'm not really in the mood for wild rabbit, thanks. I'm still confused about what happened back there. I mean, I was—am—starving, but wow, did that burger make me feel sick."

Alice took my hand again. I looked at her. She was smiling at me still, but now there was also a concerned look in her eyes. Lord, I couldn't let this go on! I had to tell her the truth. So I turned to her. "Look, um…Alice...there's something I've got to tell you," I began.

Then I stopped. How should I say it—"Hey! You have me confused with someone else, because I'm really from the future!" Yeah, that would go over like a lead balloon. I was at a total loss for words. So I just sighed, and said, "What I have to tell you might sound crazy—no, it WILL sound crazy. After you hear it, you'll probably think I belong in an insane asylum or something. But I really need to tell you…see, it's like this-" Suddenly, I broke off. Alice had inhaled sharply, cringed, and put her face into her hands.

Now what did I do? Her shoulders were shaking, and it sounded like she was crying! Me and my big mouth. I got up from the bench, and knelt down in front of her. "Hey, hey. Precious, don't cry! What did I say? Whatever it was, I'm sorry!" I took her hands, and tired to look her in the eye.

And then I felt it...a sharp headache that came out of nowhere and grew steadily worse. I dropped Alice's hands, and grabbed my own head, groaning a little. There was this weird shimmering around Alice, almost like I could-see her sadness? That didn't make any sense. I shook my head, but that made the pain worse.

Alice stopped crying when she noticed the look of agony on my face. Well, I was in agony, so I assume that my face didn't look so hot. Now she grabbed my hands, and asked, "Jasper! What is it?" A look of worry plain on her face.

"Not sure," I mumbled. "Just got a bad headache. Must be because I'm so hungry or something." I looked at her. Her eyes were near panic now, and my headache got even worse. I tried to smile, and said, "Don't worry, I'll be ok." Then she seemed to relax, and the headache started to fade away. Weird-the more she relaxed, the less my head hurt. Soon she was smiling, and the headache was totally gone.

"What did you want to tell me?" she asked.

"Never mind. We'll just forget it for now. But what was it I said that bothered you so much?" Now I was concerned. Sheesh, it was like a tennis game or something; first she was concerned for me, then I for her, back and forth.

Alice looked off into the distance over my head and sighed. "I was in a—an asylum for a while when I was younger." Then I understood. No wonder she reacted the way she did. I can only imagine what an experience like that would do to someone.

"Oh, Alice, I am so sorry! I shouldn't have said that! But I-I didn't know! Oh man, can you forgive me?" I was still on my knees in front of her, still holding her hands tightly in mine. She looked back at me, smiled, and threw herself into my arms. "Don't be sorry, Jasper! It's all right! How could you have known? You're not a mind reader!" Then she sat back and giggled. "But I know where one of those is!"

"Where one of what is?" I asked, confused once more.

She giggled again. "A mind reader! I know where one is!" Then she frowned. "Well, I'm not actually sure where he is...I just know what he looks like, and who he's with! He's with someone named Carlisle. And there are others with them, too. Others like us!"

Then she paused, and looked at me. "At least, like you'll become. They all refrain from drinking humans, and instead go after animals. They call themselves vegetarian vampires. That's what I am. I think that you and I should go and find them." But here I cut her off.

"Um, would you please back up" She looked at me strangely, then leaned back on the bench. I sighed. "No no, darlin'. Back up what you just said."

"You mean, that we should go and find the others with Carlisle?"

"No, before that..."

She frowned, deep in thought. "You mean, vegetarian vampires?"

"Yeah—that!" I got up and sat beside her on the bench. "Look, honey, everyone knows there's no such things as vampires!" I chuckled a little. Well, at least my delirium was logical—I was right about Alice being a Vegan…just, the wrong kind of Vegan. But seriously…now it had conjured up vampires. What next, a witch flying past on her broomstick? The Creature from the Black Lagoon crawling up out of the pond in the park here? Oooh—maybe Big Foot would come walking out of the trees behind us!

She almost glared at me. "Mark Jasper Whitlock! Are you joking with me? You know perfectly well there are such things! You and I are both vampires! Is this some silly game?"

"Uh..." I mumbled stupidly, staring blankly at her. For some odd reason, the headache was returning, and Alice was all shimmery again. Now I could almost see her anger. "OK, honey. Let's calm down and talk about this!"

"Don't you honey me!" She replied. But she actually did calm down. She had been in an asylum? Maybe she needs to go back, I thought. I shook my head. "Vampires." I muttered aloud that time. "What a joke!"

Suddenly, that sickly sweet smell returned, but even worse than before, and I glanced up. A woman was walking slowly toward us, lost in a book. A noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl escaped my lips, and I shot off the bench at the woman. Alice quickly dragged me back before the woman even noticed. I struggled in her arms, never taking my eyes from the woman who was now far past us.

"Let me go!" I roared. Boy, Alice sure was stronger than she looked. And thank goodness that she was. I was wild, mindless almost. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before.

The sickly sweet smell slowly disappeared, and I stopped struggling. Alice let me go, and I felt my head clear. Then the reality of what had just almost happened hit me, and I turned fear filled eyes on Alice.

"What did I just do?" I whispered. "Good Lord, I wanted to tear her throat out and—and..." I couldn't bring myself to say it. I was shaking all over. And I was thanking God over and over for Alice being able to hold me back.

"And drink her blood," Alice said softly. She hugged me, then said, "Wait here. I'll only be a moment." She skipped away.

I put my face in my hands. What had come over me? Now I know why they call it "bloodlust", because that was all I had wanted-that poor woman's blood! Thank God Alice was here to stop me! Was it the power of suggestion? Was I so hungry that I just lost myself in Alice's comments on vampires? Or was I truly going crazy? Oh, Alice, my guardian angel! I am so sorry I thought you belonged in an asylum.

Alice quickly returned, and sat beside me again. "Here," she said softly. I opened my eyes, and looked at her. In her hands she held two rabbits. My eyes grew wide, and I snarled. Without thinking, I grabbed one, and plunged my teeth into it...