A/N: Thanks for your patience as well as all your reviews. Sorry this chapter took so long, my online classes started this week and my workload has tripled. I've got a better handle on it now, so hopefully this won't happen again.

Thanks to rubiconqueen and caremarie for all of their help with polishing this thing. Rubiconqueen beta'd this chapter, and she did an excellent job, making sure this thing made any sense at all.

A note because there's been some confusion: My Ben, in the original Twilight, was in the Egyptian coven. It is NOT Ben Cheney. And my Maggie, she's no OC; she was in the Irish coven originally.

Hope that helps clear things up for yall.

I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT! I didn't make this bed, I'm just lying in it, hoping to get noticed.

Chapter Six: A Realist

I was choking.

I was standing in front of the full length mirror in the entryway of my father's house. My hands were wrapped around my neck. My eyes were wide with fright and my mouth was open in a silent scream. I pounded my chest. I bent over and stuck my fingers down my throat. Nothing was helping.

I fell to my knees in desperation and stared, terrified, at my reflection. My face was turning purple from the lack of oxygen. I watched in sick fascination as the tiny capillaries in my eyes burst from the effort my body was putting into trying to dislodge the obstruction in my throat and breathe.

All of a sudden, I felt something give way, but I felt no relief; only horror. The taste of blood reached me before the sight of it did, and I heaved and retched as the dark, viscous liquid spilled out of my mouth. It soaked into my clothes and the carpet underneath me, turning the fabric a hideous crimson.

The taste was horrendous, the smell nauseating, but the texture and the warmth of it, in my mouth and coating my face and hands, were the worst.

It wouldn't stop flowing. It came rushing out in torrents; the sheer amount of it made me question whether I could survive.

But then it did stop, and I could finally, finally, breathe; I took greedy gulps of air, only to gag when I realized that was it was saturated with the scent of death.

My face in the mirror was almost completely obscured by streaks of blood. I looked down, and my clothes were soaked through and sticking to my body. The skin of my hands was no longer visible, caked under a film of blood that was quickly coagulating. My skin crawled with the feeling of the heavy liquid dripping down my chin. I stood and stared at myself in the still clear top half of the mirror. I was disgusted. I couldn't move; I was rooted to the spot by my reflection, and I was both petrified and infuriated by it; before I could think to stop it, my closed fist shot out and struck the mirror. The glass shattered and fell to the floor in huge chunks and I was left staring at the frame and cardboard backing.

I couldn't help it; my eyes were drawn again to the reflective surface, this time as it lay in pieces at my feet. I saw a flash of white moving through three separate chunks, and I followed it with my gaze until it stilled. My head tilted as I tried in vain to make out what it was that I was seeing, until the unknown entity moved just a bit.

I saw teeth.

And then I saw his face; a sinister smile with a leering gaze. My heart pounded and I was choking again, although this time it was fear blocking my airway.

I felt the presence behind me growing ever closer. I closed my eyes tightly in an attempt to escape as my breath quickened.

I felt lips at my ear.

"Did you think that death would be pretty?" he asked, incredulous. "You're forgetting something. What is it?"

I shook my head savagely.

"How did you taste?" he breathed into my ear.

I whimpered.

"I think I'll just see for myself how good you taste," the voice mused.

I felt hands grip my arms firmly and teeth caressed my neck.

I screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.

-xxxx-

I sat up like a shot, my eyes open wide and my breath coming in short gasps. I brought my hands up in front of my face to examine them, only partially relieved to find them clean and clear of everything except my chipped nail polish.

I closed my eyes and worked on slowing my breath, regretting the fact that I wasn't at home. My gut reaction was to meditate to clear my head, but I didn't even have my iPod with me to supply soothing music.

A knock at the door startled me out of my reverie, and I called out for whoever it was to come in. I wondered if it would be Jasper, and whether or not I even wanted it to be him.

I was only a bit disappointed to see Maggie's face through the cracked door. I motioned for her to come closer and her sweet smile widened as she slipped inside and shut the door softly behind her.

"How did you sleep, sweetling?" she asked in concern once she'd fully taken in my unsettled expression.

"Great," I lied.

She raised a dainty eyebrow doubtfully. "Bella, you know how my Edward can read minds, and Alice sees the future?"

I nodded cautiously.

"Well, I can sense people's intentions," she informed me quietly. "I can also sense it when someone is lying; to someone else, or to themselves."

I blinked at her dumbly.

"Do all of you vampires have extra super powers?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Yes; at least the thirteen of us do. Not all vampires are reborn with a special ability. It's usually a magnified version of a trait we carried as humans."

I shook my head in wonder. "So what can everyone else do?" I asked.

I was honestly intrigued, but I was also hoping to distract her from the fact that I'd blatantly lied to her face, even though it was just a silly white lie.

"It's not my place to tell you that, love. You'll have to ask the others. They won't mind; they'll tell you everything you want to know," she said pointedly, but a soft smile graced her tiny features as she said it.

I stared at her in surprise, wondering how she could have possibly deduced the worries that had plagued me in my sleep.

"Edward can read your mind even when you're sleeping," she informed me apologetically.

I reddened instantly. She caught my mortification and assured me quickly that Edward had only told her what he'd seen in my head, and only then because she'd sensed how troubled it had made him. I breathed a sigh of relief. She squeezed my hand gently and then left, reminding me as she walked out that we had school, but that I had plenty of time before we had to leave.

She'd put me much more at ease with the knowledge that the rest of my questions would be answered, all within five minutes of conversation; I was impressed.

After she'd closed the door behind her, I climbed out of bed and stretched before heading for the bathroom. I avoided the mirror again, this time for a completely different reason, as I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I cleaned the smudged makeup from beneath my eyes and then left them be, ignoring the cosmetics sitting on the counter that were obviously for me.

I slipped into the closet and gave the clothes Alice had left for me a cursory glance before I shrugged and put them on. I could honestly care less what I wore, as long as it was comfortable. The olive toned cotton tunic and brown knee high boots fit perfectly and felt amazing against my skin.

I took my hair down as I walked downstairs towards the symphony of voices. Everyone was sitting around the living room, chatting comfortably with each other. I smiled, and some of the tension in my body left me as I watched them.

They may drink blood, but they are so obviously kind people; a tight knit family that I would be blessed to be a part of one day.

The love in the room was palpable.

Edward nodded at me in silent thanks and gestured towards an end table that held a disposable travel coffee cup and some kind of pastry. I took the empty seat in between the table and Jasper, touched that someone had anticipated my needs for once. Charlie was the lone exception.

Jasper grinned at me shyly, reaching out to touch my hand but drew back at the last second and fingered the loose fitting sleeve at my elbow instead.

I focused on the coffee that was warming my hands and nibbled at the pastry before devouring it in all its flaky goodness. I was grateful that no one watched me as I ate, they just kept up the easy conversation, killing the time before we had to leave.

The family was incredibly affectionate with each other while being subtly sexual with their partners, and I felt bad for Jasper all over again. It must have been hard to be the only one of his family without a lover for over a decade.

His pleas last night had moved me, and if anything, seeing this hammered his point home. I was still very cautious; I didn't have all of the information yet, and I would have been an idiot for jumping into something with him without knowing all the facts and being absolutely sure of my decision.

Before long it was time to go, and everyone stood up to gather their things. I held my coffee while I searched for my bag. Victoria held it up for me with a grin and I smiled back as I shouldered it. The bag was much heavier than it had been yesterday, and my confusion must have been apparent because Alice danced up to me and opened it, showing me the contents.

"I put all of the clothes you wore yesterday in there, as well as your shoes, and a lunch; I didn't want you to suffer through the slop they serve in the cafeteria," she told me hesitantly, as if she feared my response.

"You're pretty handy to have around, Alice," I said as I laughed lightly, and she visibly relaxed as she joined my laughter. She kissed my cheek swiftly before flitting out the front door, trailing behind the rest of her family.

Jasper grabbed my hand and looked to me questioningly, and I smiled at him shyly before leading him outside and towards the Jeep. He boosted me inside, this time to sit next to Peter, as Charlotte sketched a wave at me from the front seat. Emmett rolled the windows down as we followed the other two cars down the steep drive. We enjoyed the last vestiges of summer in the warm breeze that blew in the car, ruffling my hair and tickling my skin. I felt light and free, sipping on my coffee and joking around with Emmett and Peter like all was right in my world.

It wasn't until we pulled into the lot at school that I realized what it might look like, the new girl showing up at her second day of school, after being seen in a compromising position with a boy, and riding in with him and his family the next morning. I cringed as I thought about what they would say if they saw the clothes in my bag and deduced that I'd stayed the night. I didn't care for my sake, but it would reflect poorly on Charlie's parenting if I was labeled as easy.

Jasper's phone vibrated and he glanced at it before murmuring something indistinguishable. Emmett whipped the Jeep around in a motion that had me falling all over myself and Jasper as he drove to the far side of the lot, where I'd parked yesterday. He pulled off of the pavement and onto the grass in between my car and the forest surrounding the school. Emmett looked back at me and grinned at my bewildered face before he and Peter hopped out and walked towards my car, checking it out in the way that boys do.

Charlotte twisted around in the seat and glanced at Jasper before addressing me.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go put your clothes from yesterday in your car; lighten your load a little bit, yeah?"

Comprehension dawned, and I stuttered out a very sincere thank you to everyone as Jasper helped me out of the Jeep. Charlotte walked to the driver's side while I stood by the passenger side door and dug in my bag for my keys. I unlocked the car and each of them opened a door; Jasper opened mine and tipped an imaginary hat to me. I playfully curtsied and giggled as I slung my bag up onto the seat.

As the others were feigning curiosity as they examined my interior, I tossed all my clothes from yesterday on the floor in front of the backseat. I grabbed my iPod and shoved it into my bag, taking out my dead cell phone and plugging it into the car charger. When I was ready to go, I grinned like a fool at the people sitting in my car. They all laughed at my expression and jumped out, shutting the doors in eerie synchronization.

The rest of the family was waiting for us on the walkway in front of the main entrance to the school, and made inane conversation to distract me from the stares we were receiving. Throughout the walk, a few of them waved goodbye as they left to make their way to their own classes. I was suddenly aware that I hadn't seen any of them all day yesterday before lunch period, and I was saddened that their schedules conflicted mine so much. It wasn't until I reached my English class and Rosalie and Victoria were still with me that I grew confused.

"Some of us switched classes yesterday, so we could keep you company. We know very well how obnoxious these kids can get," Rosalie said sourly.

I laughed as I sat down at my seat from yesterday. This time, it was Rosalie and Victoria that surrounded me, and I was so grateful to be relieved of the staring and incessant chatter of the teenage stereotypes that occupied this school; at least for this class period.

Today's lesson was mostly a discussion of books we've read, the teacher's method of feeling out where the class stood on their knowledge of classic literature. I didn't participate; mostly because I hadn't read anything that the rest of my peers had; my literary taste was completely different. Instead, I spoke softly with Rose and Victoria, mostly about me until I turned the tables.

"So, Maggie said that you all have special abilities…" I trailed off, not quite sure of how to pose the question I wanted to ask.

Victoria nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm what's called a shield; I can create a physical barrier that nothing can cross. It's like a big bubble, about the size of a small house. I can also block other vampire's abilities, the ones that affect the mind anyway, but I can only protect myself and anyone touching me," she whispered.

I was speechless. I guess I'd assumed that all of the other's abilities were like Alice's and Edwards; only in their mind and with no physical manifestation.

"What about you, Rose?" I questioned eagerly.

"I guess you could call me a succubus," she said hesitantly; it was the first time I'd ever seen her unsure of anything, and it threw me. "It's not what you probably think," she hastily explained, and I gestured for her to elaborate. "Basically, it's hypnotization. I can control minds… or one mind at a time, anyway; a person just has to lay their eyes on me and I can control their movements. They become unaware and it's almost like I have two bodies."

I was slightly unnerved, but I refused to let it show. She already seemed pretty self conscious about it, and I didn't want to make that any worse.

"That's amazing," I said warmly. "I don't suppose you could tell me what Jasper's ability is?"

They giggled.

"No, sweet girl, I think that's something best explained by him," Victoria said.

I rolled my eyes, but nodded my acquiescence as their laughter died down.

I now had at least two of the thirteen in each of my morning classes. James and Ben showed up in second period, and Kate, Edward, and Alice were in my third.

I walked to lunch with them, happy to avoid the prying eyes of the student body by sitting outside at a couple of picnic tables. There were things I wanted to ask them, but they seemed so happy and carefree outside the school that I didn't want to ruin the mood talking about death. Instead, we talked about all of the incredible things that they'd seen over their many years. I munched on the lunch Alice had made for me and listened raptly as some of them spoke of living during the roaring twenties and prohibition. I was in hysterics as a few of the boys recounted Woodstock with dreamy smiles. I was fascinated as Ben and James discussed driving to Florida and seeing the launch of Apollo 11.

It was obvious that they'd lived through and seen horrible times, but no one brought any of it up to keep the afternoon lighthearted. I appreciated it; I badly needed a break from the craziness of the last couple of days.

Jasper and I headed off to Human Anatomy, but before we could cross the threshold I was flagged by Angela. I turned to Jasper in apology, but he just smiled charmingly at me and then her before going inside the classroom and letting us have a moment alone.

She was staring dazedly at the spot by the door that Jasper had just occupied, and I had to work hard to hide my amusement. It was nice to know that Angela could be struck dumb by him as well. As I walked towards her I searched my mind for a way to excuse our behavior yesterday.

"Hey girl, I'm sorry if you were worried about me yesterday, Jasper had asked me if I wanted to meet his family after school and I'd said yes, but then Jasper got a text and had to leave in a hurry, and he asked me to leave with him, and I didn't really have a whole lot of time to make a decision, and he's just so compelling, and-"

"Bella!" she interjected with a laugh, and I took a much needed breath and released it slowly to calm myself down. "I just wanted to ask you why you guys had to leave in such a hurry; was everything okay?"

I cringed inwardly; I wasn't anticipating this question and spouted some bull off the top of my head. "Well, his parents had to go out of town last minute and they wanted the kids to come say goodbye before they had to leave."

"Oh, okay. I had no idea what was going on, I was just curious and a little worried, but I was sure you could take care of yourself, being a cop's kid and all," she joked, and I laughed until a thought occurred to me and I had to backtrack a little bit.

"Hey Angela, my dad thinks that Jasper's parents were there all night; do you think you could keep this little secret for me?" I pleaded, feeling incredibly guilty for all the lying I'd had to do lately. With all that I knew now, this was just the beginning.

"No problem," she said sincerely, and I thanked her as we went inside the classroom.

Jasper smirked at me from our lab table, and I shot him the finger before taking my seat beside him. His chuckles echoed through the room and our classmates turned to stare at us until Mr. Mason called their attention to the front of the room.

"I graded yesterday's lab on blood typing; you all did fairly well. Once again, I apologize for passing out at the beginning of yesterday's class. It must have been a head rush or something; I still don't really remember what happened," the teacher said in discomfiture. Some kids in the class giggled softly.

I turned to Jasper with questioning eyes, but Mr. Mason still wasn't done talking, so I reluctantly gave him my attention again.

"I want you and your partner to take these results and compare them to the national average. I want each of you to write a paragraph explaining your results and which blood types you are compatible with giving to and receiving from," he stated as he passed back papers to everyone except Jasper and me.

He grabbed a couple workbooks off of his desk and brought them to us. "I don't know why you two had to leave my class yesterday, but consider this your one free pass; next time, if you don't have a written excuse you'll get in school suspension," he warned us as we nodded, and I felt thoroughly chastised. "I want you both to complete page twelve and turn it in at the end of class to make up for missing the lab," he finished before heading to a different lab table where a kid was raising his hand.

As we worked together to complete the busywork, kids kept looking back at us and speaking in low tones to each other, and I used my hair as a curtain to hide my blushing face.

"Do you always attract this much attention wherever you go?" I asked him.

"Actually, after that first glance, people tend to shy away from us instinctually. This is all you, sugar," he drawled.

"You're kidding me. Don't the people in this town have cable?"

"Of course they do; this is the twenty first century. You're just that interesting; especially because you're the only person my family has associated with since we moved here. Want to know what they're saying?" he asked as he grinned slyly.

"You can hear them? All of them?" I questioned in amazement.

"Oh yeah, it's all part of the package. All of our senses are heightened by the change. And as you saw from James and Emmett's idiotic display yesterday, we're pretty much indestructible," he said matter-of-factly.

"Alright, I'm intrigued now; tell me what they've been saying about us all day," I said with a sigh.

"That would take all day. Why don't I just tell you the most outrageous theories?" he offered. I smiled and nodded in acceptance.

"Alright, well one particularly catty girl who shall remain nameless is speculating that Doc Cullen is into secret experimental plastic surgery and we're only befriending you because you're a prime candidate for his newest procedure; a leg transplant."

At my disbelieving look, he clarified. "She thinks you're short; she called you a leprechaun."

"I'm a perfectly respectable five feet and five inches," I stated haughtily.

He smirked and looked me up and down appreciatively. "That's right; and every inch of you is sinfully delicious," he purred, and sounded so much like Garrett that I barked out a loud laugh.

A few people turned to stare again and I covered my mouth in chagrin.

"There's one boy who thinks we all must be part of some secret modeling firm and we're here on the down low to recruit you," Jasper said, and it was more than enough to distract me from my embarrassment.

"Alright, so how about the sane people, what do they think?" I asked in disbelief.

He stared at me sweetly. "That we're dating already, that it was love at first sight. There are a lot of closet romantics at this school."

"I can dig that; I'm one of them," I stated casually.

"Are you really, sweet thing?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I am," I said defensively. "First and foremost, I'm a realist, but I grew up reading Austen, the Bronte sisters, even Shakespeare. As an adult, my favorite author is Henry Miller, but I was raised by stories about romanticism and chivalry."

He looked like he didn't quite understand what I meant by that. I hastened to explain.

"Renee was less of a mother, and more of an irresponsible roommate while I was growing up. I spent my life taking care of myself and her; that's why I moved here, so that I could find out who I was without her to define me. She remarried recently, and I trusted her new husband to take over for me. Anyway, I learned all of my life lessons from books."

"It sounds like being responsible for yourself and your mother taught you some things too," he mused.

I cleared my throat and looked at my hands in my lap. "Yes, well, life is hard for everyone," I said noncommittally.

He put his fingers underneath my chin and turned my head to face him.

"I think everyone should have someone to look out for them, to be there when things get tough," he said fervently. "If you'll let me, I'd like to be that person for you."

My eyes welled up and I looked away from him. I took deep breaths to keep my tears from spilling, and it worked. Once I calmed down, I turned back to face him again.

"We'll see," I said softly.

He nodded once, and we went back to our work.

-xxxx-

I put my car in park and leaned back against the headrest. I stared at Charlie's garage door and worked on getting my emotions under control. My chest was aching horribly; it felt like I was missing an appendage, or maybe a couple of ribs. I was breathing shallowly, hoping it would give me some relief, but there was none. I contemplated my cell phone, but I'd only left school ten minutes ago.

I now had phone numbers for Jasper and every member of his family, and they'd told me in no uncertain terms to call them if I needed anything. Jasper had been reluctant, but understanding of my need for space, and I was grateful for it. I had desperately needed time to myself to think.

Now I was in so much pain that thinking was almost impossible. The only thing I needed was Jasper, and I couldn't stand it. I had never been so dependent on another person.

I opened my door resolutely, determined not to call him and beg him to come to me. I almost left my phone in the car so that I wouldn't be tempted, but I couldn't bear to do so, and chucked it in my bag.

Charlie wasn't home, and I was glad for it; I wanted to make him dinner to thank him for everything. I headed into the kitchen and tossed my bag onto the table, thinking maybe I could distract myself with homework when I wasn't busy cooking. It helped a lot with the pain, to keep my mind clear of everything except what my hands were doing as I chopped, sautéed, tossed, and baked. The mind numbing tasks were soothing and I lost myself in them.

The door opening brought me back to the present, and I gasped and hunched over as the ache in my chest intensified again. I straightened myself up just in time to smile at Charlie as he came around to corner and hung up his gun belt, laughing with someone I couldn't see.

A woman stepped into the kitchen, giggling and holding a large casserole dish. She turned her face away from Charlie and then noticed me standing in front of the stove. "Oh hey, little girl, didn't see you there," Charlie said happily. He then frowned a bit as he looked around the kitchen. "Are you cooking? That's so sweet of you, I didn't realize you could cook; Sue brought lasagna, there's going to be a bunch of us eating here tonight," he said apologetically.

"The more the merrier," I said hoarsely. I cleared my throat. "Besides, I made Italian, too; Chicken Tetrazzini and garlic bread, and a pretty big salad. I made enough for leftovers, so there's enough for all of us and your daughter-"

"Leah's boyfriend is coming too, Bells, and Sue's boy Seth. He's about fourteen; he's a good kid, you'll like him," Charlie said.

Sue set her dish down on the table and then squeezed his hand affectionately, and he blushed. She was a beautiful woman, so tiny I couldn't see how she'd had two kids, and when she smiled it was warm and welcoming. I was so happy for my dad in that moment that everything else disappeared and all was right in my world again.

We conversed lightly as Sue and I worked on dinner together. She was very complimentary of my cooking, which I appreciated. The only hard part of the evening, besides the gnawing pain in my torso, was when I explained why cooking was something I was really good at. Charlie's face darkened as he heard for the first time how much responsibility I'd had in Renee's home. I laughed it off lightly and changed the subject because I'd dwelled on the past too much today and I'd moved here for a fresh start.

Sue saw my topic change for what it was, but after a knowing look, she let it go, and I was thankful for it.

Once dinner was ready and we were just waiting for everyone to arrive, I excused myself on the pretense of putting my things away, and barely made it to my room before I collapsed on the floor in agony. I curled up into myself and clenched my jaw tightly to keep from crying out, but a few whimpers escaped.

I felt the air around me shift, and all of a sudden I could breathe comfortably again. Before I could figure out why, Jasper's scent assaulted me and he pulled me into his arms, rocking me back and forth.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, darlin'," he murmured despondently. "Kate and Ben told me it would be worse for you, because you're not used to feeling this much, but their human memories are so blurry that I thought they were maybe exaggerating a bit. Alice told me that Charlie was going to find you like this and take you to the hospital, so I rushed here, I'm so sorry-"

"Stop, Jasper," I interrupted him. "I feel fine now that you're here, I'm okay," I soothed him.

"I know, but I'm still sorry," he said.

"What do you mean, you know?" I pulled back a little to look at his face.

His eyes widened and he clutched me to his chest once more before settling me back onto the floor.

"My gift," he said morosely, staring at the floor. "I can sense emotions."

"Hey, what's wrong?" I questioned him. "That's incredible."

"I'm afraid you'll ask me to leave when I tell you the rest," he replied.

"The rest?"

"Bella… I can also manipulate people's emotions," he answered, still not looking at me.

The first thing I felt was shock. Next came doubt, and then fear, but those were squashed almost instantly by the instinctual knowledge that Jasper would never do anything that would hurt me. I knew that included manipulating my feelings to suit his needs.

"You feel acceptance," Jasper stated as he stared at me in astonishment.

"Yes," I smiled amusedly.

The ringing doorbell startled us out of our staring and I looked towards Jasper worriedly.

"I don't want you to leave again. It hurts too much to be away from you," I stated.

"Why don't I come by for dinner?" he grinned. I put my hands to my throat in mock fright and he had to cover his mouth to keep his laugh from echoing through the whole house.

"I doubt Charlie would appreciate a strange boy coming out of his daughter's bedroom," I said seriously.

"Don't worry," he smirked. "I'll use the front door."

He disappeared.

He must have stayed close, because I was able to stand up and walk downstairs without feeling any discomfort. There was loud conversation coming from the kitchen, and I headed towards it.

Three new people were there, and my eyes bugged out at their sizes. The smaller boy was exactly as tall as Charlie, who was six foot three barefoot, and I didn't believe for a second that he was fourteen. The larger boy towered over everyone, and could give Emmett and Peter a run for their money in the muscle department. The girl that was holding his hand must have been Leah, and she was barely shorter than her little brother.

"I'm glad there's so much food," I said without thinking, and they all turned their attention towards me and laughed.

I blushed hotly, and stuttered out an apology, but Sue waved it off as she took my hand and led me towards her kids.

"Bella, this is Leah and Seth," she introduced me and I shook their hands and smiled warmly. Seth grinned back, and Leah nodded and smiled hesitantly in return.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella," Leah spoke softly, and her voice was lovely. Her man let go of her hand to hold out his own in greeting. "This is my boyfriend, Jacob Black."

I grasped his giant hand in mine and marveled at the heat it held.

I released him right as the doorbell rang.

A/N: SO SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT! My computer crashed on Sunday and I lost ALL of my work on this chapter, I had to start from scratch.

Something good came out of it though, I'm getting a new little net book as soon as I get my financial aid refund, which should be sometime this week. SO, hopefully this will never happen again.

Next chapter will be the showdown between Jasper and Jake. It may not go as badly as you think! (;