Hello my lovely readers! Congratulations to you! As of yesterday the number of hits on this story for this month exceeds the number of hits of my first story Solstice, which remains very well read despite the fact that it was completed months ago. Here is a chapter based off a book series I do not own using characters I do not own. :)


Chapter 9.

Wow. That was all I could think. Wow. I'd never been to the Pacific Ocean before, but it was amazing. The colors in the water were so many clear distinct shades of blue for varying depths it was hard to take in all at once. The sand, the waves, the jagged cliffs that plunged down into the sea; I had been to the Atlantic Ocean a few times with my family but it was so different from this. Both were beautiful of course, but this was like nothing I had ever seen!

"I take it you like the beach," Jasper grinned.

"I love it," I sighed.

It had taken us a year and a half, but we made it to the Atlantic ocean traveling by foot. I'd continued drinking animal blood, and as Jasper had predicted, Charlotte always accompanied me, but she only hunted with me the first few times before she apologetically explained that she just couldn't give up human blood. It was fine, I still loved her like a sister and Jasper and Peter were like the annoying brothers I'm glad I never had.

We'd been traveling up the beach for about six months, and even though we couldn't go out on sunny days we were still able to have fun on the beach on cloudy days and had seen dolphins and sharks and the most gorgeous beach sunsets, like they had been taken off a painter's canvas. I had started another photo album because of all the pictures I had taken when we first arrived.

Of course, Peter and Charlotte were often "swept away" in the "beauty of it" and Jasper and I had to spend many a night walking down the beach looking at shells and crabs and baby turtles or sometimes we'd go to the mountains so I could catch a mountain lion or a wolf or a bear.

Jasper wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I didn't mind as much as I used to. "It is beautiful."

I looked at him and smiled.

"Clara, I do believe your eyes have turned brown," Jasper said.

"What?!?!" I exclaimed. I dug in my purse for my mirror.

"Let me see!" Charlotte said, standing on her toes to get the best look. "I think he's right. Your eyes are definitely brown."

Finally I found my mirror and brought it to my face. They were right. My eyes were no longer the ruby color they had been for the longest time. I was fascinated. My eyes were the color of caramel, but why? All the other vampires had red eyes, when they got hungry they got darker until they turned black, but they were never this color. They almost looked human.

"How...how did this happen?" I stammered.

"I don't know," Jasper said softly. "I've never seen this before."

"Maybe she's turning back into a human," Peter suggested.

"I don't think so," I replied. "Everything else is the same, and besides, my eyes were blue."

"Oh. I still don't understand. Maybe it's her power? What's so different about her?" Peter asked.

"She drinks animal blood," Charlotte suggested. "Maybe it's the result of that."

"But animal blood is red too," I argued. How could blood the same color change anything?

"Maybe..." Jasper mused. "Because you are less of a threat to humans because of your diet, that's reflected in your eyes."

"Maybe," I said. We settled back down. There were so many unanswered questions we had about ourselves, but there were so few answers we left the questions alone and just listened to the waves crashing on the beach.

Later that night Charlotte and I had gone out to get soap and shampoo seeing as we were the only ones who used decent amounts of it and the hotels never supplied enough for four people. As we approached the room we could hear Peter and Jasper yelling at each other. They weren't loud enough to wake the neighbors, but we could hear them very clearly.

"Well look what happened to her! It's not normal Jasper!"

"What? Her eyes changed colors? Ooh I'm so scared! It's better than this unnatural red color! Don't you wish people didn't look at us like criminals as soon as they got close enough for eye contact?"

"No, I don't really care! They're just people, they don't matter!"

"They do matter! They all have these emotions, these strong, strong emotions! They have lives and families and they have a reason to live, not just because they can, but they have a real, strong reason which they fight for as we take their lives! They scream and they cry because they have something worth living for and when I take them down I feel their anguish, but I lack the reasoning behind it! I just can't take it anymore! I can't live like this!"

"Do you think you're the only one who doesn't like killing humans?"

"Of course not! That's how Clara figured it out! She didn't want to kill people and she did something about it!"

"You don't know what might happen to her because of what she eats! Sure, she's been doing it for a few years but that's nothing! That's nothing to us! What if she does turn back into a human one day?"
"Then I'd be glad for her! She can get her baby out and get on with her life! Then I'll know it'll be worth it!"

"Well you take your chances; I'll be right here with the love of my life waiting for you."

"See! Even you have something worth fighting for! I either need to find someone of my own or go to Volterra and end it all!"

We had stopped at the door. Charlotte had a look of horror on her face. I'd never seen either of them so angry and by the look on her face Charlotte hadn't either.

I think Jasper felt our fear and realized we were outside, but Peter didn't have a clue.

"You do have people of your own! You have us! You have me, and Charlotte, and Clara. I think Clara would be very sad to see you leave."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about! I mean someone to love, to have and to hold for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. Like that! And will you get off of that! Clara and I will never become a couple! I don't love her! Now if you don't mind I think I'll be leaving and let the girls in."

The door flew open and Jasper stormed out.

"Jasper!" Charlotte called out after him. I couldn't say anything. I just watched him run down the hallway and out the door.

We just managed to get into the room before Charlotte broke down and started crying. I realized how strange I looked every time I cried. The face looked like it was crying and the appropriate sounds were made, but without the tears it just looked like acting. I held her, still in my state of shock, because she wouldn't have anything to do with Peter and Jasper wasn't there. She cried all night until about four or five in the morning. At that point she thanked me, but asked me to leave so she could yell at Peter. She said I should go look for Jasper, and that I did.

I combed up and down the beach as the sun came up, filtered by a cover of clouds as far as the eye could see. There was going to be a storm today. The wind was already kicking up sand. After I was about a mile from our hotel I spotted him, leaning against a deserted lifeguard stand. When I saw him everything I had been holding back broke loose. I screamed his name and ran into his open arms, sobbing. I didn't care how ridiculous I looked. I just wanted Jasper back.

"You aren't really going to leave are you?" I asked.

"I have to. Like I said, I just can't take it anymore. No offense to you guys, you're like family to me, but well, let's just say that even right now you're blowing me over with emotion. I can hardly think for myself. If it makes you feel better, I'm going to try and give up human blood and try animal blood like you said. You know, go off into the woods with my tent and just be alone for a while, not have to put up with anyone else's emotions."

"But you will come back?"

"I can't say, I guess it depends on what I find out there, but I'll write you even though neither of us have addresses, I'll write you and when we meet again, because chances are that within eternity we'll see each other again, I'll give them to you. Okay?"

I nodded. What other choice did I have? He was going to leave whether I liked it or not.

The rain started to pour and the wind started to howl; we were soaking wet but we didn't care.

"Peter's not too angry is he?" Jasper asked.

I shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I bet he is, but you know how Peter is. We all thought you were coming back. Charlotte's screaming at him right now, now that she's finished crying."

"I feel terrible. Tell her I'm so sorry for upsetting her like that, but really, I'm glad I wasn't there. It would have been the worst thing for me really. I'm sorry for upsetting you too."

"I love you Jasper," I said with the faintest hope it would keep him with us. Who was going to walk around with me when Peter and Charlotte got involved with each other now? Who was going to be there with a little boost of happiness for me when I was feeling down? Who was going to even out Peter's temper? I'd miss Jasper so much.

"I love you too, you know that. I was just angry at Peter when I said that. I love you, I'm just not in love with you, and I know you know exactly how I feel."

I did. I wouldn't change a thing about the way we felt about each other, even if it would keep him with me. I still wouldn't date in respect for Robert's memory, and Jasper didn't need the baggage that was me. It wouldn't even be like we would be able to kick Charlotte and Peter out for a change because of the baby.

I didn't know how long we stayed out there, but we did, we just stood under the lifeguard stand until the storm let up.

"I guess you need to head on back," Jasper said.

I looked at him sadly.

"The sun's going to be coming out soon and we don't want to be caught sparkling now do we?" he asked, lifting my chin so I would look him in the eyes. "Clara I promise I will write every day, and that when you see me again, I'll have those same brown eyes as you."

"Thank you," I whispered. "Goodbye Jasper."

And in a flash he was gone.

I trudged back to the hotel, eventually having to break out into a jog as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

"Well did you find him? Where is he? Is he okay?" Charlotte asked the moment the door showed signs of movement. I couldn't say anything. The room seemed so empty without Jasper there.

"Clara, say something," Peter begged. I could tell he was just as sorry as Jasper about this whole thing. They had the same look in their eyes.

I shook my head as the words came out as a cracked whisper. "He says he's sorry he upset you Charlotte, and he's sorry he fought with you Peter, and he said he loves me even though he's not in love with me. He said we were like family to him, but none of that stopped him. He said he had to be alone. I tried to stop him, I did, but he's gone."


Thank you for your reading and reviewing, it's really quite great! I'd also like to thank Shelby and Megan for their continual help on this and all my other stories. Speaking of Shelby and Megan you should go check out their stories (see ravenclawblonde1428 and twilight-chick-92). I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Hufflepuffbrunette :)