We had left the apartment just a few hours after nightfall, heading east. Alice was carrying a leather travel bag which had already been packed and ready to go when she pulled it out of her closet. I had offered to take it from her twice, but she declined, stubbornly carrying the pouch that looked enormous next to her tiny frame.
I was glad for the rain that still kept most humans inside. What would they have thought, seeing a tall man like me letting his delicate companion carry the heavy suitcase? What a horribly dull thought to be someone's last. And there was no doubt it would be. Despite the blood of the drunkard still coursing through my system, I was past letting a suitable victim walk if they were unlucky enough to cross my path. And with Alice's positivity close by, the emotional turmoil may even be bearable.
I shoved the thought aside, disgusted by the murderous musings my mind followed while she was lively chatting about how she'd seen Emmett pursue a polar bear earlier today.
"He'll be very disappointed to find out that the poor thing is too starved to put up a good fight. But then, Esme always says he shouldn't play with his meal."
It was strange listening to her talk about something that hadn't even happened yet as if it were a fact. As if the people in her visions were her best friends, her close family. I probably would have thought her crazy—even crazier than I already did—if I couldn't feel it.
Just like the affection she had blinded me with earlier, her adoration for this family was certain. Absolute. Those people weren't just pictures in her mind, they were her family. Just like I was her mate, even though I didn't feel—
Well, I didn't feel anything specific at all. I was still hovering somewhere between the unfathomable draw of her emotions, the remnants of my previous kill, and the distracting mundane sentiments of the area's inhabitants. If it were up to me, we couldn't leave the city behind us fast enough. But Alice was determined to keep up a human appearance. At least when we were crossing streets in the dim light of the streetlamps.
She always knew exactly when it was safe to speed up and when the next dark alley held another unfortunate homeless man. They never knew how close they came to an untimely death. Alice always reached her hand out just in time, interlacing her fingers with mine and stunning me with another wave of her intoxicating blend of positive emotions.
Still, I was glad when we finally left the outskirts of the city and its human scents behind. And even though she hadn't let it simmer through her carefully curated emotional climate before, I sensed that Alice shared my relief. I wondered if she'd suppressed it knowingly or if it was just a lucky coincidence, realising once more how alarmingly little I knew about her. About how much she knew about me and my talent.
She had said she'd seen me since 1920. Almost two decades before I left Maria. Just shortly before Charlotte joined our ranks. Before she and Peter left. Before I arrived at my lowest point. And judging by the frequency she had received visions since we met, she'd probably seen most of it.
She's seen me die. I hadn't been able to fully comprehend the significance of that revelation before, too occupied by the sudden change in her disposition and desperate to return her to her previous cheery self. But now…
I had sometimes wondered how close I'd come to my demise after particularly violent battles, guessed how often I'd cheated death in the last second. There had even been times, though few and only in the later years, where I wished the grim reaper's hold on me was stronger. These thoughts had grown stronger and more frequent during the last decade. I'd lost all hope. And Alice had returned it to me within a fraction of a second.
I looked at her from the side. She'd gone silent after we left the city, but an abundance of determination and joy still lingered in her smile. She was remarkable. How much strength had to lie in that tiny body of hers to be able to withstand decades of loneliness without growing grim, despondent?
As if she had felt my gaze on her, she turned her head and looked at me, before accelerating and suddenly changing the direction. She was hunting now.
I followed her, pushing away the dazing side-effects of my talent as good as I could, focusing on the hunt as well. But despite my best efforts, I couldn't hear or smell anything that was remotely appetizing.
"Have you caught something?" I asked.
"Not yet. But I've seen us coming upon a pack of wolves just a few miles north of here," she explained.
"Wolves?"
"Yes. I've found that predators are slightly more enjoyable. Their blood is more like human's."
I nodded. She was the expert. I, on the other hand, was still grappling with the idea that any animal blood could be enough to sustain our immortal bodies.
Just as she had predicted, the wind soon blew the sound of shuffling paws on damp ground in our direction. But despite closing in on the animals quickly, I still couldn't smell anything that got my venom flowing.
This hadn't changed by the time Alice stopped and turned to look at me, an expectant glimmer in her eyes. "They're just up ahead. I'll stay here. Good Luck!"
I threw her a last doubtful look, before dashing forward. What could be the worst thing to happen? Me, coughing up wolf pelt for a few days. Probably.
The animals sensed me the moment I spotted them. One howled, then they all took off. Their fur blended well with the undergrowth, and they were significantly faster than humans. Still, they were no match for a predator like me. I leapt at the slowest one, my arms instinctively wrapping around its torso, one hand reaching for the snout. The animal growled and snapped violently, but its teeth weren't built to penetrate vampire skin. The poor thing was helpless. A quick flick of my wrist and its suffering was over.
Getting back up on my feet, I viewed the carcass doubtfully. A small trickle of blood flowed from its mouth while mine stayed uncharacteristically dry. Alice is waiting. Better get it over with, I reminded myself and buried my teeth in the animal's neck.
The first thing I noticed was the unappetizing sensation of fur in my mouth. Nothing compared to the smoothness of human skin. Still, it alone would have been tolerable, had it not been accompanied by the abhorrently bitter taste of the wolf's blood. I spit it back out immediately, discarding the carcass with more force than necessary. It landed right at Alice's feet.
I hadn't even noticed her approaching. I was too occupied with gaging and picking hair from my teeth. "This is repulsing," I cursed.
She chuckled. "I never said it would be pleasant."
"Pleasant? This is not just unpleasant, it's… nauseating."
"You'll get used to the taste."
"I doubt that," I replied, spitting out again. I just couldn't get the bitter taste to go away. And there was fur stuck between my teeth
Alice set her bag down and picked up the dead animal. In her arms, it instantly appeared much larger than it actually was. "Please, try it again. It's not as bad once you get over the initial taste. For me?"
There was so much hope in her words. And as her emotions gently nudged me, I just couldn't say no. Hesitantly, I held my hands out towards her.
A smile lit up her face and she handed me the carcass. "You should hurry. It's better when it's warm."
Her comment didn't really help but I also didn't want to disappoint her. And so, I sunk my teeth into the animal again.
The initial reaction wasn't as bad as the first time since I now knew what to expect. Still, I had to force myself to swallow the bitter fluid. The constant burning in my throat was barely affected. At least, the usual wave of my victim's pain and despair remained absent, even after I dropped the drained body to the ground. It was nice, not to feel the crushing weight of death. But regardless, I wasn't convinced.
Wiping the blood off my lips with the back of my hand, my eyes returned to Alice. She was incredibly proud, smiling from ear to ear as if she had just observed me best the mightiest of creatures instead of almost retching from animal blood.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Horrible. And still thirsty."
She nodded, picking up her bag again. "It will get easier with time."
"I can't believe you've been doing this for 28 years."
"You get used to it. And the taste isn't as bad as ending someone's life, wouldn't you agree?"
I wasn't sure. Wasn't this just trading one torment for another? No longer feeling the torture of death but instead constantly forcing myself to down this abomination she considered to be blood? I didn't dare to imagine how much would be needed to satisfy one's thirst.
My head jerked towards Alice again as I felt uncertainty soar inside of her. Still, her hope remained strong. She was looking at me expectantly, obviously waiting for me to agree. To go with her. But could I do that?
"Jasper?"
I didn't know. But her incomparable affection and the promise of a brighter future were worth figuring it out.
"I'm not sure," I replied, "but I'm willing to find out."
A/N: And so Alice and Jasper's travels start. I'm so excited to see what's in store for them! What do you think they were up to in the two years prior to meeting the Cullens?