Hello

So, I'm not sure that hunger could be classified as an emotion, but that's what I think it should be called. So I'm saying that Hunger CAN be an emotion.

The chapter's name - hunger - is self-explanatory if any of you remember what happened in chapter 6 of Reason to be Sane. If not, that's ok.

In this chapter, Jasper faces hunger for human blood again as they buy a car.

That's all I'm saying and that's the explanation for why this chapter is so damned big.

Remember, I said that chapter could be anywhere between 500 and 1500 words long. This chapter's just 150 words away from the full limit: 1500.


The forest was silent as we ran through it.

We, too, were silent; we said nothing as we ran at our natural speed.

After a few miles, Alice spoke.

"Jazzy?"

I smiled, looking at her.

"Yes, darlin', what is it?"

She looked at the dirt beneath her feet as she spoke. "Well, I was thinking… how long will it take to get to Chicago?"

She looked at me, scrutinising my face as I thought about it for a moment.

"Not too long. If we make four short stops – each of around an hour – perhaps a day exactly."

We discussed it for a short time, and I suggested that we buy that Porsche car that came out this year.

She nodded, pride coming through as I read her feelings.

"Well then, we need to find a car dealer now," I said and she frowned.

"Jazz, we need money to pay for a car," she said, confusion now the dominant emotion she was feeling.

I smiled at her.

A few days before I'd entered Philadelphia, I'd killed my last human victim.

For whatever reason, on that victim was a hefty – and I mean hefty – amount of money and in my haste and practice of these things… I had stolen it.

Not wanting to divulge this, however, to my darlin', elfin mate, I simply said: "I've got it, darlin'."

She frowned, confused, but I shook my head, still smiling.

She dropped the subject, shrugging.

I smiled as we ran for the town.

Again, we were silent.

As we got closer to town, and especially when we entered it, I was more and more nervous.

In town, there would be people.

I used to eat – or rather, drink – from people for tea.

And to buy a car, we'd need to face humans.

In person.

We'd have to speak to said humans.

That worried me considerably.

Since I'd vowed to stay with Alice and love her, I'd vowed to keep from feeding of humans.

It was for the both of us: Alice didn't want to be a killer and neither did I.

That alone brought forth the worrying question: would I be able to control myself?

Unfortunately, the truth of the matter was that I had no idea.

When we reached the car dealership – the only one in this town – I took Alice's hand, in need of her confidence.

As if sensing that – as if she was able to read my emotions – she squeezed it before leading us both forward.

"Let me handle this, my love," she whispered to me.

I thanked my lucky stars – though I'd previously been sure that I'd had none – for her in that moment.

I cursed myself, however, when I realized that I'd have to hold my breath.

Doing so would mean I'd have to breathe in.

I clenched my eyes closed as I opened my mouth and sucked in a deep breath.

Immediately, I wanted nothing more than to growl and take that man from behind the desk.

I wanted to throw him down and bite down on his neck.

I wanted to suck his blood from his throat, and let it's surely wonderful taste fill me, satisfy me.

My muscles coiled, ready to spring into action.

The growl was already vibrating in my chest, but thankfully it was low enough that Alice wouldn't hear it.

It was bad enough that she'd feel it.

My thoughts focused on what was to be my next victim, but I fought against it.

No.

I need… I just… I just need

NO!

I squeezed Alice's hand for a minute, clenching my eyes closed even tighter.

There was only one thing that I was feeling right now.

Hunger.

And I knew that until I was able to get out of here and breathe in cleansing, clean air, I'd feel that hunger and that hunger only.

When I was sure, I let Alice know and she let go of my hand.

She walked toward the desk, where the man was waiting.

"Hello sir," she said to the middle-aged man. "My…"

I could hear her hesitation as she tried to come up with a good 'label' for me.

"… Boyfriend," she eventually decided, though I could feel her discontent at the unsatisfying, lame term, "and I are looking to buy a 1948 Porsche 365. Do you happen to have any in stock?"

The man stuttered a little and I closed my eyes as I heard him shuffle around the papers on the desk.

"Yes, I do," he said after a few moments. "Please… come this way."

I walked forward and took Alice's hand before we followed him through to a room full of cars.

He babbled on.

I could tell that he was actually quite passionate about his job as he spoke about the car's exterior and interior features.

I paid close attention when he began to talk about choices in colour.

"Now," he said, "we have a few different colours you can pick from. There's the white, the silver, the black, the red… and the pale blue."

He looked back at us then, leaving the decision to us and I immediately looked down at Alice.

I opened my mouth, my hunger spiking to new, agonizing heights as I tasted the scent of the human man in front of me.

Kids.

He's got kids, a wife, surely.

I thought to myself desperately.

Surely thinking about them as people and not food would help somewhat!

I hid my hunger as I spoke to my love.

"Darlin'?" I said softly, "it's your pick."

I immediately clamped my mouth shut, but the dazzling, bewitching smile on Alice's face was enough for me.

"The pale blue, please," she chirped, stepping forward and I moved with her.

I hated that my muscles were still coiled, ready to spring and I chose to ignore it.

Surely, that would work.

Wouldn't it?

I focused on Alice as she asked the man to have the car ready as soon as he could.

When he admitted that he wasn't sure that it was possible, she asked for his name.

Michael Newton.

Surely, this Michael had family… and if I killed him, I'd leave those people without a family member.

Control yourself, I commanded myself desperately.

When my sweet Alice bribed him with a larger sum of money, I forced myself to think.

How much money did I have again?

I calculated it, and summed it up.

I definitely had enough.

That old man had really had way too much money on his person.

Soon enough, Alice and I walked out the door, with Alice saying a mere "good day, sir."

As soon as we were out of there, I took a deep breath.

Ah.

Clean air, finally.


I know the ending was a little hasty, but if I'd dragged on in perfect detail about all of chapter 6 – and yes, that covered a WHOLE CHAPTER of Reason to be Sane – then we'd exceed the limit for the chapter and I would've had to have split it.

You wouldn't have wanted that.

I'll see you all next week.

Please leave me some big love for the BIG chapter.

:)

Please review

bexie25