Chapter 3

Oblivious to the nefarious thoughts and emotions that were building up in the other girls, Rayne just casually watched as the volleyball was tossed back and forth over the net from one side to the other with no notion of what was about to happen.

Jasper however, did.

Every so often, he would glance over at Rayne after feeling the emotions that the other girls were fueling merely due to her presence.

Anger, Hatred, Jealousy, and of course...Envy.

Envy that he, Jasper Whitlock Hale, would allow her to walk with him to classes, talk with him, even be seen together with him, while they were not.

Their emotions were wild. Their anger was unstoppable.

Suddenly, everything seemed to happen all too fast for anyone but Jasper to stop it.

And regardless that he desperately wanted too, more than anything else in his life, he couldn't.

For doing so...would show everyone exactly what he and his family truly were.

Vampires.

BLAM!

Rayne could hardly stop herself letting out a sharp cry of pain as the volleyball slammed with more force than she thought possible into the side of her face and causing her to slam down upon the hard wooden floor of the gymnasium momentarily hitting her head rather hard as she did so.

"Rayne!"

"Rayne!"

"Rayne! Are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse?"

"Mr. Walters! Go to the bleachers and sit out the rest of gym class!" was the only commanding shout of voice out of the concerned students that called out the culprit behind Rayne's predicament.

"But coach!"

"Now Mr. Walters!"

As Rayne was helped to her feet, she vaguely heard the coach call over someone to help her get to the nurse.

"Ms. Kenley, please go back into the girls locker room and retrieve Ms. Dracul's things."

"I can't sir, she locked her locker."

"Ms. Dracul, are you well enough to unlock your locker?"

"Ugh...ye...yes."

"Alright. Once you've retrieved her things, Mr. Hale, you are to help them get to the nurse. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now get back in your locker rooms and change into your other clothes."

Running off to do as he requested, Jasper then used his vampiric speed to change into his regular school clothes and be outside the girls locker room entrance door to help get Rayne to the nurse.

Although it took the girls a few minutes, Jasper immediately held onto Rayne's other arm and eased most of her weight onto himself.

Informing Jane Kenley that he could get Rayne to the nurse well enough on his own, he then told her that she should return back to the gym.

"But the coach told me to help you get her to the nurse."

"I can get her there just fine on my own. Please return back to to the gym Ms. Kenley."

"Well, if you're sure. I was suppose to talk to the Drama teacher about an upcoming project that I had wanted to do."

"Yes I am sure. Go and talk to him. I'll let the coach know that he wanted to talk you about something incase he gets curious about your absence."

"Thank you Jasper."

Watching Jane leave him alone with Rayne in the hallway, Jasper glanced down at her and thought for a mere moment whether or not he should just reveal himself to her.

Don't even think about!

Edward. Why shouldn't I?

We don't know who she is. Or anything about her. At all. Wait until you have permission from Carlisle before doing such a thing.

Like you did with Bella.

That's different.

It is not. She's in the same situation Bella was. She already knows about our cold skin and red eyes.

HOW?

In Art class, we had to draw something that made us depressed. I drew something from my past and could hardly contain myself with all the emotions surrounding me. She laid her hand upon my shoulder and I nearly snapped at her. She saw my blood red eyes and felt my ice cold skin moments later. I told her that my skin was a condition of mine that I've had for a long time, but I didn't mention my eyes.

Jasper you must be careful about this. Don't tell her what we are until Carlisle gives you the okay.

Like you did?

Jasper, please, not now. We'll talk about this as a family later tonight.

Very well then.

Cutting off his mental conversation with his brother, Jasper then carefully moved Rayne into bridal style in his arms before moving on down the hallway towards the nurses office.

Needless to say, the rest of Rayne's day at school turned out to be rather boring.

However, Rayne did notice that she had shared all of her classes except for Home Ec with Jasper.

After putting away the books that she didn't need for her homework back into her locker, Rayne then turned off down the hallway and continued walking away from her locker until she made it to the front office where she deposited her slip of paper that her teacher's had signed throughout the day, before continuing on outside the school building.

Walking over towards the school parking lot, Rayne gave Jasper a nod and a smile before continuing on towards her car noticing faintly that both his older siblings and Alice was there with him in accompany.

Starting her car and driving off towards her house, Rayne mentally sent Jasper a prayer that he didn't get in trouble for whatever he did today that could've been her fault upon seeing his family's forlorn, angry expressions.

Arriving back at her house nearly twenty minutes later, Rayne hurriedly made her way the upstairs and into her room to start her homework as soon as possible and get it done as fast as she could before she had to get into the shower and change into professional clothes for her new job interview down at a local cafe.

However, back with Jasper and his family, they all silently got into their two cars and immediately drove off of the school parking lot and on the road towards their house.

Upon arriving there, they all moved into the family meeting room...aka the living room...and waited for their adopted father Carlisle to speak his thoughts upon Edward's exlpanation to his earlier conversation with Jasper.

"What was her reaction to your eyes Jasper?"

"She didn't have one. She just asked if I was alright."

"She wasn't afraid of them?"

"No."

"What was the picture that she drew Jasper?"

"Her mother lying in a bed on the last day she was alive."

"I see. Well, bring her over for dinner this Friday and we'll see just how her reaction to our kind really is. If she doesn't understand our need for secrecy, then we'll have no choice but to dispose of her. Do you understand what I am saying Jasper?"

"Yes sir."

After Carlisle's meaningful warning, Jasper left the living room and walked up the stairs to his room where he laid down on his soft twin bed and turned his gaze outside his window all night long thinking about Rayne and her reaction as well as his families reaction to her knowing of what they are. Sending a small prayer to whatever gods have kept Rayne safe until now, Jasper prayed that they wouldn't have to kill the only girl that now has come to mean so much to him in such a short amount of time since his break up with Alice.