Did the world need another Jasper/OC story? The answer is absolutely yes.
Shadows settle on the place, that you left
Our minds are troubled by the emptiness
Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time
From the perfect start to the finish line
(Youth by Daughter)
If someone were to ask her how she had ended up here, she might have said something along the lines of fate or dumb luck, but in reality, it had been her own stupidity. And her big mouth. But more on that later.
Here, being one of the old beds in the emergency room of Forks General Hospital. Her head was pounding with so much intensity she felt like someone was trying to carve it from the inside like a pumpkin and the sting of an IV needle was noticeable every time she tried to move her left arm. Not wanting to risk an eyeful of that and pass out again, she kept her eyes screwed shut and listened to the sounds of people bustling all around her.
The smell of hospital, a mix of disinfectant and death, assaulted her nose and somewhere nearby, the beeping of some sort of machine rattled her already sensitive ears, the noise doing nothing to alleviate her aching headache.
Despite feeling like utter shit and the urge to go back to sleep to a place where she wouldn't have to deal with any of this, reality was starting to sink in and it put her on edge. Vulnerable and alone in a less than friendly environment, her muddled head was already beginning to lay out a contingency plan.
Trying to access her memories of the last couple of hours was like wading through a thick fog, a vague notion that was just out of reach. Screaming, a loud bang and then, a coldness that spread through her veins with numbing intensity.
A wave of nausea suddenly hit her like a freight train and she sat up, eyes flying open to combat the need to empty out the contents of her stomach. While taking a few deep breaths, trying to ignore the black spots dancing in her vision, the white curtain separating her from the rest of the patients was pulled open, revealing a man so beautiful that for a moment, she thought she might have actually died and gone to heaven.
"Ah," he said, stepping closer and pulling the curtain shut once more, "you're back."
Scarlett tried not to gape at the gorgeous stranger standing before her, but her eyes roved over him nonetheless. He was extremely pale, with skin so flawless that any pubescent girl would have been jealous, including her, and his honey hair was styled meticulously. Her fingers were itching to see if it was as soft as it looked. Busy studying the elegant slope of his nose, she didn't realize that she had been staring for an inappropriate amount of time until the sound of someone clearing their throat brought her out of her daze.
Flushing, she cursed her stupid hormones and looked at him with as much dignity as she could muster in her current state, finding two familiar pools of liquid amber watching her. The similarity was uncanny. Of course, her mind supplied, filling in the gaps. The man's mouth was quirked up in amusement.
"Ms. Barnes, my name is Dr. Cullen and I am here to give you a report of your injuries," he said, his voice a smooth baritone that sounded like music to her ears. The infamous Dr. Cullen, father of five adopted children with matching eyes and good looks. She knew about him, all right. The whole of Forks did. She only hoped that he was less of a dick than the others, though.
Acknowledging his introduction with a small nod, she continued to fiddle with the sheets to occupy her restless hands.
"How are you feeling?" Dr. Cullen stepped closer and pulled a small flashlight from his pocket, shining it into each of her eyes.
"I have a horrible headache," Scarlett said, wincing as another burst of sharp pain seared through her head.
"That's to be expected. You have a concussion, albeit a light one," he said, stepping back. "Any nausea?"
"A little."
"I will give you something for the pain," Dr. Cullen said, looking at a clipboard clutched in his hands. "We have tried to contact your foster family, but with no success."
Scarlett tried not to let her obvious relief show on her face. She didn't even want to imagine the thundercloud of trouble that would await her should they know that she was here. "They're probably at work, both of them work the night shift," she said with a sigh. "What time is it?"
"Two in the morning. You were found three hours ago in the forest by a passerby. We had to alert the authorities as you were not conscious at the time and we couldn't be sure how you came by those injuries." Dr. Cullen pointed at her aching face.
"That wouldn't have been necessary," she said a little too quickly as Dr. Cullen's eyes narrowed suspiciously. His gaze was intense, as if he were trying to gain a glimpse into her mind. "I fell and tried to take a walk to get rid of some of the dizziness. Must have passed out like an idiot," she explained, keeping her eyes trained on him defiantly, daring him to call her on her bluff.
"There was no outside influence involved?" he prodded.
"No." And technically, there hadn't been. With every passing minute, her memories became less distorted and by now, she had an overall idea of what had transpired. There had been an argument, a regular occurrence in the household of the Walker's. Insults and scathing words were thrown around and when she tried to leave, either Tom or Bianca, she wasn't sure who, had grabbed her by the hair, causing her to slip and hit her head on the kitchen counter.
With whatever strength remained, she fled the house and ended up in the forest where her injury had caught up with her. All in all, Scarlett counted herself lucky. It could have been much worse; she knew that from experience.
Dr. Cullens voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "You will have to answer some questions nonetheless. The Chief is currently outside, waiting to take your statement." His eyes were shining with something similar to disappointment at her refusal to tell the truth.
She had to suppress a groan. All of this trouble, for what? She'd be back at the Walkers in no time and nobody would bat an eyelash in her direction again.
"Is that really necessary?" she asked with a huff, massaging the sore muscles in her neck. "I already told you, nothing happened."
"It's standard procedure, Ms. Barnes. It won't take long. Do you feel well enough to talk to him?"
"Let's get it over with, then."
Charlie Swan was an overall bland guy, but Scarlett found that she quite liked him. He was a man of few words, a quality she very much appreciated in people. He asked her some questions, much like the ones Dr. Cullen had posed a few moments earlier and when he realized that she didn't intend on giving him anything to follow up on, he left her to it with a mumbled "Take care."
Dr. Cullen returned a moment later with some pain medication and a couple of prescriptions. She took them with a small smile and suppressed a shiver as his unusually cold hands brushed hers.
"I'm going to remove the IV and then you'll be free to go on the condition that there is someone who might take you home. You shouldn't be alone in your current state."
"No worries, I'll just call a friend to pick me up," she lied smoothly. While she was already dreading the cold walk home, it was better than spending any more time with needles in her body and this beautiful man's piercing eyes directed at her.
"You will need to come back in a week to get those stitches out," he said, pointing to the top of her head and her hands flew up to touch the even scoring of thread on her forehead she hadn't even noticed until now. Great, she thought. One more for the collection.
"Do you have any questions, Ms. Barnes?" Dr. Cullen's arms were now folded behind his back and he was looking at her with an inquisitive look on that beautiful face of his. The underlying meaning of his words was not lost to her. Are you sure nothing else happened?
"No," she said, trying not to roll her eyes at his obvious attempt to coerce her into revealing something else. He wasn't the first one to try and she was sure he wouldn't be the last one. People had feigned concern for her for all of her life. In the end, nobody ever followed up on it. By now, she had learned that not saying anything was sure to give her the least amount of trouble in the long run.
"Alright then." He moved to stand beside the bed and leaned over her, removing the small needle lodged into her arm quickly but surprisingly gentle at the same time.
It didn't hurt in the least, but she couldn't suppress the small whimper that escaped her. Averting her eyes quickly, she tried to think of something else to distract her from the blood rushing into her ears.
"Not a fan of needles?" Dr. Cullen asked with a small chuckle.
"Ugh, needles, blood, none of that. It's embarrassing, really," she confessed as he pressed a small wad of cloth to the puncture in her skin.
He stepped back with a warm smile. "I'm not particularly fond of it, either. Took me quite some time to get used to it."
"Any tips?" she quipped, sitting up slowly.
"I have found that reciting country music in my head is quite helpful. It serves as a good distraction."
"You're joking, right?" She looked up at his turned back and noticed that his shoulders were shaking with barely suppressed laughter. Shaking her head with a grin of her own, she was surprised to find out that the gorgeous man apparently had a sense of humor as well.
"As soon as there is someone to pick you up, you can go. I recommend a lot of rest and proper hydration for the next few days. No school or other taxing tasks for the rest of the week," he said, back to serious.
Scarlett nodded her consent, patting down the pockets of her sweatshirt in search of her phone. She was relieved to find that the battery was still almost full. At least she wouldn't have to walk back without any music.
"Thanks, Doc," she said sincerely, hopping down from the hospital bed.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Barnes. Please take care of yourself," Dr. Cullen flashed her a charming smile that would have made a younger version of herself swoon and a moment later, he was gone.
She let out a long sigh, rubbing her throbbing temples. Thoughts racing, she thanked the nurse that brought by her coat and bag and swept out of the room in search of a mirror to assess the damage.
On the far end of a hallway, she found an empty bathroom and locked herself inside. Risking a look in the mirror, she winced when she found her pitiful reflection staring back at her. The stitches on her forehead were straight and neat and she gently ran a finger along the puckered skin. They were high enough that she could probably cover them up with her hair if she tried hard enough. Speaking of, her blonde hair fell around her shoulders in tangled, lifeless strands, dirtied by the forest floor she'd been lying on mere hours ago.
Running her fingers through the bird's nest on top of her head, she was a little embarrassed to realize that she had looked a mess in the presence of Dr. Cullen.
"Don't be stupid," she chastised herself at the silly thought. Yes, the man was unfairly attractive and she'd been surprised to meet a Cullen that was not a dickhead, but she didn't need to impress anyone, even less a much older, married man.
She turned on the faucet, splashing a little cold water over her flaming face. The coolness did little to alleviate her horrible mood, but at least she didn't feel as dirty anymore. Propping her hands on the counter, she stared at herself, trying to swallow down any conflicting feeling threatening to overwhelm her with the force of a tidal wave.
In a few months, she'd be eighteen and graduate. In a few months, she would be free to do whatever she pleased, unrestrained by abusive foster parents and the system that repeatedly put her into these situation
Her dull, brown eyes didn't reflect any of her conflicting emotions, staring back at her completely emotionless. Content that her mask was firmly in place, she concluded that stretching out her return to the house any longer was nonsensical. The longer she waited, the more likely it would be that one of the Walkers was home. If she hurried, she might be able to slink into her room unnoticed.
Also, she craved a cigarette.
Shrugging on her coat, she stepped out of the bathroom and made her way through the quiet hallways, keeping an eye out for a blonde doctor that wouldn't be too pleased with seeing her leave the hospital on her own.
A few nurses passed her on her way, none of them paying any attention to her. Once outside, she rounded the building and plopped her bag on the ground, pulling out a cigarette. The click of the lighter was unusually loud in the quiet night air and she took a long drag, watching the smoke disperse into nothing after blowing it out languidly.
A shiver crept up her spine as the coldness of the winter air increased with every passing moment and she wrapped her arms around herself to create some extra warmth.
"This fucking town…" she mumbled to herself, feeling incredibly sorry for herself in that moment. Typically, she wasn't one to fall into the trap of self-pity, but she was tired and angry and her head hurt like a bitch.
She was close to spiraling, she could feel it, but the lock she kept on her emotions at all times was still firmly in place. It rattled every now and then, warning her that one day it would burst and sweep her up in a blizzard of anger and hurt, but she figured that she would deal with that when the time came.
Taking another generous pull, she listened to the faint hum coming from the vents in the hospital, leaning her still tender head against the wall. Scarlett's eyes were heavy with exhaustion and closing them only intensified the burn, so she kept them open, gaze lazily travelling over the pitch-black forest in the near distance. The moon was visible tonight, a crescent shape in the sky, painting the tops of the trees in a silver light.
She didn't pay any attention to her surroundings, too busy cataloguing the picture so she could sketch it out later. Which, looking back, was a real idiot move in the middle of the night while alone.
"Those will kill you, you know," a voice piped up, making her freeze up and drop the cigarette in shock.
"Jesus!" she yelled, fully expecting to see a crazy psychopath with an axe swinging at her, only to find Dr. Cullen instead. He was standing next to her with crossed arms and a stern look that made her feel like a petulant child. "You can't just sneak up on people like that," she hissed with a hand on her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
"I apologize," the doctor spoke. "But I couldn't help but think that you weren't quite truthful to me earlier." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"What does it matter to you?" she said tartly.
"I couldn't just let you leave without making sure that you are going to be fine." He leaned against the wall next to her, watching disapprovingly as she put out the cigarette with her sneaker. He was only wearing his lab coat, but seemed completely unaffected by the cold unlike Scarlett, who had started shivering almost immediately upon stepping outside.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm none of your concern, Doc," Scarlett said, grabbing her bag from the floor, looping the strap over her shoulder. She didn't feel like having this discussion right now, especially not with this stranger watching her with something terribly close to pity shining in those golden eyes.
She made to leave, but his voice made her stop and turn around. "You promised me you wouldn't go home alone."
She laughed drily. "Well, I don't exactly have a ride as you might have noticed."
Ignoring her unfriendly words, he smiled warmly. "Not a worry. My sons will take you home."
It took her a few moments to process his words and in that time, she noticed the silver Volvo in the parking lot before her, two boys standing in front of it like statues. They were too far away for her to see their expressions, but it was obvious that they were watching her.
Feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden, she said, "That's really not necessary, Dr. Cullen. Thank you, though."
"I insist. Or would you rather spend the night in the hospital until someone from your foster family can pick you up?" the blonde man said with a steely-eyed look. He didn't sound threatening at all, but for all of his warm demeanor Scarlett suddenly realized that Dr. Cullen had a real sense of authority about him as well.
Although she felt a little cornered by his proposal, the decision came easy to her. "Alright," she reluctantly agreed, a little disgruntled at having been put on the spot like that. She knew that he was only looking out for her, but couldn't help feeling a little suspicious nonetheless. People usually didn't do nice things without an ulterior motive.
"I'll walk you to the car," he said, leading her towards the parked Volvo.
As they got closer, she recognized the two boys waiting for them. Both, just like their adopted father, were gorgeous in their own way, with matching eyes like liquid gold.
The one to the left was huge and burly, his crossed arms bulging with muscles. His curly black hair was cropped short and he was leaning against the car with a lazy smile. Emmett Cullen was probably the one Cullen beside his father she disliked the least. Unlike the rest of the bunch, he had a sense of humor.
For the other one, she didn't have a shred of fondness. He was by far the most attractive man she had ever laid her eyes on, making her belly tighten in anticipation involuntarily every time she was faced with his good looks. The thought alone was enough to darken her mood even further. Restraining herself from making her dislike obvious on her face, Scarlett avoided looking at Jasper Hale's strong jawline, sharp cheekbones and that long-suffering look he wore at all times.
The light from the moon reflected on their faces, making their skin look eerily white. Scarlett herself was pale, like most people living in Forks, but the Cullens were on an entirely different level. She found herself thinking that their skin looked like polished marble, elegant and delicate at the same time.
"Scarlett, you know Emmett and Jasper," Dr. Cullen said as they arrived in front of the two boys. She gave a nod in return. "They will take you home safely. If there is anything else I can help you with, don't hesitate. I assure you, it's not trouble."
While his insistence annoyed her slightly, she also felt bad for thinking negatively about the man. Years of bouncing around the system had left her with a certain radar for people, the good and the bad. Something was telling her that Dr. Cullen belonged to the good. Swallowing down her instinct to lash out, she instead gave a small smile.
"Thank you."
"Have a good night, Scarlett. And lay off the cigarettes, won't you?" he said gently.
"No promises."
Dr. Cullen turned to his sons. "Give me a call once you're back home." He clapped Jasper on the shoulder encouragingly, fixing him with a hard look. With that, he was off and Scarlett watched his retreating back, suddenly feeling completely out of place. How she had been roped into this, she would never know.
"Let's go," Emmett spoke, already holding the door open for her. "I want to get in a couple of hours of sleep before school," he said with a shit-eating grin in Jasper's direction, as if what he just said was hilarious.
Jasper only rolled his eyes and got into the driver's seat, slamming the door shut with a little more force than necessary.
The inside of the car smelled new and expensive and Scarlett tried not to move around too much, not wanting her dirty clothing to rub off on the leather interior. She gave the boys her address and they sped out of there. To say that Jasper drove like a lunatic would have been an understatement. She glanced at the speedometer a couple of times and noticed that they were significantly over the speed limit.
Scarlett was no stranger to driving a little faster than recommended, but this was extreme, even for her. Thankful for the seatbelt stopping her from bouncing around the backseat, she prayed that she wouldn't have to return to the hospital prematurely. The two boys seemed unbothered by the speed with which they were flying over the deserted roads, Emmett humming along to some generic pop song on the radio.
A few minutes in, Jasper cranked down the window all the way, letting in the cold winter air. The wind whipped through the car and whirled up Scarlett's hair, a strand of it slapping her in the face.
"Is that really necessary?" she asked obnoxiously while keeping the blonde mess from flying into her eyes.
"Yes," Jasper hissed dangerously. His tone didn't sit right with her and she sneered at the back of his head when noticed that he was gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary, jaw locked tightly. Quickly averting her eyes from his long fingers, she leaned back into the seat with a dramatic huff. She hadn't really expected him to be anything but his usual unlikeable self.
"Don't mind my brother, he gets cranky when he doesn't get his beauty sleep," Emmett piped up, grinning at her over his shoulder.
"Should I even ask why you are out at this hour? Doesn't seem to me like Dr. Cullen condones unhealthy sleeping schedules," Scarlett said, looking out the window, the dark forest blurring with the speed of the car.
"Top secret business." Emmett winked mysteriously, making her roll her eyes. "What happened to you? Get in a fight with a bear?"
The comment cracked her up. "That sounds a lot more exciting than the unflattering truth, maybe I'll tell people that from now on."
"So, what's the unflattering truth?" Emmett's voice had a teasing quality to it but his eyes were serious.
"I'm running an underground gambling ring and got into a fight with a mobster," she deadpanned, trying to keep a straight face.
Emmett's booming laugh filled the car and she could see Jasper shaking his head disapprovingly, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned. She was fighting her own laughter and cracked a grin when she was sure no one was looking.
"Yeah, hate when that happens," Emmett said, playing along with her joke. "You ever need some muscle, just call me up."
"Will do, Schwarzenegger."
"Schwarzenegger?!"
Scarlett gave an unladylike snort at his appalled tone. "You can't deny that there are similarities."
"Maybe a little bit," he grumbled. "I'm much more handsome, though."
"Of course you are," she said in a voice someone might use to appease a pouting child, rummaging around her bag for her keys.
"Please, Barnes. You wish you could get a piece of this," Emmett said with a cocky smirk, flexing his biceps. They were impressive, that was for sure, but she wasn't too keen on opening that can of worms and possibly getting stabbed by Rosalie.
"To be honest, you're not really my type. I'm more into blondes," she declared, only realizing the insinuation she'd just made after the words were already out of her mouth. Eyes widening, she cursed her stupid tendency to speak without thinking first.
Her traitorous cheeks were burning and she consequently avoided anyone's eye as Emmett whistled provocatively.
"Is that so?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "It just so happens that I know a few blondes that might be available, well one of them is technically a redhead, but still."
"Emmett," Jasper snapped. His face was even darker than usual, his gorgeous features scrunched up in a sour grimace.
Scarlett ignored the little pang of hurt in her chest at the obvious dismissal and said, "Thanks but I'll take my chances with like, anyone else." She caught Jasper's eyes in the rearview mirror and quickly looked away before her treacherous mind blurted out any other embarrassing things.
A moment later, they pulled into her driveway with a sharp turn that made the tires squeak unpleasantly as she was pushed into the door with an oomph, barely holding on to her bag and stopping it from spilling all over the floor.
She had barely straightened up as the door to her left was ripped open by Jasper. He was looking at her impatiently, gesturing for her to get out. Ignoring the urge to give him a piece of her mind, she grabbed her things and climbed out of the car as slow as possible just to irritate the arrogant prick a little. Also, her body ached like crazy and hasty movements probably weren't the way to go right now.
Looking up at him defiantly, she dared him to say something, but the blonde boy only gave an annoyed huff before turning around and getting back into the car without a word.
"Thanks for the ride!" she said loudly with fake cheeriness and then, much quieter, "Jerk."
She was about to turn around and leave, when Emmett got out of the car with a chuckle. He laid his arm on the opened car door and held out a small piece of paper for her to take. "My father wanted me to give you this in case you ever needed a hand with something."
She approached him and studied the small business card. Carlisle Cullen was printed on top in elegant cursive and the paper was smooth in her hand, feeling thick and expensive. A phone number was placed on the bottom.
"Thanks," she said, holding the card up in a mock salute.
"Take care of yourself, Barnes", Emmett said and rejoined his brother in the car. Not a second later, the Volvo sped up again, whirling up dirt in the driveway.
"Weirdos," she muttered, climbing up the steps to the porch.
This night could only get kookier if some extraterrestrial being decided to swoop in from the sky and abduct her. The Cullens generally didn't associate with anyone but themselves, especially not an antisocial loner like her. She could count all of the interactions she'd had with them before tonight on both her hands, none of them particularly pleasant. For them to show any kind of interest in her was unsettling.
She shook her head to stop her mind from focusing on this any further. They'd only picked her up because their father had asked them to, nothing special about that. It would be best for her not to overthink this and forget about tonight altogether. Reading too much into the situation would only increase her headache. Speaking of, her head was still pounding incessantly and she'd been standing on the porch like an idiot for the past couple of minutes, lost in her thoughts.
The house was dark and the only thing illuminating the blackness of the hour was a street lamp further down the road. A small shiver crept up her spine at the realization that it was the middle of the night and she was, once again, standing around outside like someone with a death wish. Quickly unlocking the front door, she swooped inside and toed off her sneakers.
The soft pitter patter of paws on the carpet was the only warning before something big and hairy threw itself at her. Grabbing around blindly for the light switch, the small hallway brightened and Scarlett smiled at the German Shepherd rubbing his snout against her pant leg, tail wagging.
"Hello pumpkin," she cooed, kneeling down to rub his head affectionately. Some of the tension in her bones evaporated at the familiar feel of his warm fur.
Spike was a mix-breed the Walkers had gotten from a shelter a year before she'd arrived at their house. At first, she believed that he was supposed to be some sort of child substitute but quickly discarded that thought. The Walkers didn't have a paternal bone in their bodies and had probably only gotten a dog to act as a glorified alarm bell.
Scarlett had a way of getting along with animals and the two had bonded so much over the past year that the dog belonged to her in every way but on paper. She went out on walks with him, fed him, drove him to the vet whenever it was necessary.
He was a gentle soul and wouldn't hurt a fly, probably the reason the Walker's didn't like him. But Scarlett had grown to love him unconditionally and Spike returned the sentiment a hundred-fold. He was her companion in life, the only one she needed or wanted.
She took off her jacket and padded into the kitchen with the dog at her side, rummaging around in search of something edible to satisfy her rumbling stomach. Passing out and waking up in the hospital tended to make someone hungry. The fridge was stocked with beer and expired leftovers and she winced at the smell.
In the end, she made do with a bowl of cheerios and some cheese strings, reading over the instructions of her medication absent mindedly while shoveling the food into her mouth. Spike was perched at her feet with his head resting on her cold feet. The dog's eyes were drooping lazily but he perked up when Scarlett threw him a piece of cheese.
Running a glass of water from the tap, she gulfed down the pills Dr. Cullen had prescribed her and almost choked on the bitter taste, washing out her mouth with more water afterwards.
A quick look at the watch told her that it was close to three in the morning. She didn't know the Walker's work schedule by heart, but one of them usually appeared around this time. Shoving her now empty bowl into the crowded dishwasher, she whistled for Spike to follow her and walked across the hallway into her small room.
The run-down house didn't have a second story and barely accommodated the Walkers and her with three rooms in total, minus the bathroom and kitchen. It wasn't the most luxurious place, that was for sure, but it also wasn't the worst she'd ever stayed in.
Dearly craving a shower right now, she contemplated it for a few moments but discarded the thought in the end. Her priorities included sleep and no human interaction.
After the door had been locked and the blinds on her windows were pulled shut, she quickly stripped out of her filthy clothing, changing into a pair of fleece pants and an oversized, ratty band shirt.
Her room was nothing special by any means, but she had a reasonably comfortable bed, a dresser and a desk. Some of her possessions like a bra here and there and schoolbooks were scattered around the small space and the walls were filled with some of her more detailed sketches. Her favorite one was of Spike enjoying the warm afternoon sun by the pond near the house. She had even managed to capture the light breeze rustling the treetops tenderly and the memory always brought a small smile to her face.
Spike was already lying on his designated spot at the foot of the bet, head lolled to the side and watching her. She gave him a pat on the stomach before flopping down on the bed herself, pulling the covers up to her nose and relishing in the warmth slowly returning to her freezing limbs.
The medication was steadily beginning to work, the pain in her body subsiding with every passing minute. Her eyelids were growing heavy with exhaustion but for some reason, her mind wasn't willing to shut down just yet. She tossed and turned for about ten minutes and eventually gave up with a miserable groan, running a hand down her face.
Flicking on the small lamp on her bedside table, she reached around the floor in search of her bag. While pulling out her sketchbook and pencil case, the card Emmett had given her floated onto the ground. She picked it up and held it up to her face, considering what to do.
The Cullens were weird, that was for sure. People would have probably described her with words along those lines as well, so she wasn't exactly in a position to judge, but something told her that there was more to it. She didn't believe they were dangerous, at least not to her, but it was obvious that they weren't the type to mess around with. Over the course of her life, she'd met many people and categorized them into groups, the Cullens being the first people to not fit into any of them.
Scarlett tried comparing them to Tom and Bianca, but found that it didn't feel quite right. There was absolutely no resemblance save for the feeling of apprehension that followed her around in their presence.
While Tom gave her the creeps in more ways than one, the Cullens intimidated her. And it was needless to say that Scarlett wasn't easily intimated.
Still, there was something eerie and mysterious about them, a secret lurking underneath the surface, the water too blurred to give anything away.
Making a decision, she quickly saved Dr. Cullen's number into her phone under Doc and ripped up the little card, not wanting Tom or Bianca to find it. She didn't intend on ever using it, but her intuition told her that it might come in handy one day.
Sitting in bed with her sketchbook on her lap, she wrecked her mind for some sort of inspiration, something to distract her from the events of that day. She'd once read somewhere that art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life and felt like it perfectly summarized why she was so passionate about drawing.
Letting her fingers fly over the empty page was an instinct at this point. Like building a house brick by brick, she joined together strokes to create a picture from within her mind. She'd been forced to go to a shrink before, but nothing was more therapeutic to her than bringing life to a page with nothing but the power of her creativity.
Caught up in the moment, she didn't notice the shape of whatever she was drawing until she put down her pen to let out a yawn and rub her tired eyes. There on the page, a very familiar jawline stared back at her. She'd been a little messy with the contour and some of the lines weren't quite proportionate, but it was obvious that the face belonged to Jasper Hale.
Drawing him, or anyone from his family for that matter, wasn't something new to her. They were gorgeous after all, and she was pretty sure any artist would have loved to bring their features to life on a canvas. It still annoyed her, though. Good looks were no guarantee for a likeable personality and Jasper Hale in particular was a painful example of that. If he weren't so horribly stuck up, she would have tried to jump his bones already.
Tucking the new sketch away, she flipped the book closed and sagged back into her pillow with a long, drawn out sigh. She really needed a boyfriend, or at least a fling to vent out some of her pent up frustrations.
Sadly, her reputation of being an average-looking outcast with a short fuse didn't exactly attract tons of suitors. Gently nudging Spike with her foot, she found the dog's eyes already watching her curiously.
"You're the only man I need anyway," she mumbled and he tilted his head to the side as if to say you're crazy.
"Don't judge me, I have a concussion." You're the one talking to a dog, her mind unhelpfully supplied.
With a dejected "ugh" she pulled her pillow over her head and started counting down from a hundred in a desperate attempt to fall asleep and make her confused head shut up.
And without her knowing, Scarlett had just been swept up in something much bigger than herself. Terrifying and wonderful, it would change the course of her life and paint her existence with colors she never would have dared to believe existed.
A/N: This is my attempt at a hopefully interesting story. The plot has been sitting in my head for quite some time now and I'm really excited about bringing Scarlett's world to life.
If you have a moment, I would love to hear your thoughts about this first chapter. Thanks for reading!
Also, Jasper is the superior Cullen, don't at me.