The sun began to peak over the horizon and entered through the glass wall on the opposite side of the room. My monstrous skin released gleams of light upon every surface. I felt Alice began to stir as she inhaled deeply with what I could only assume was a content smile upon her face.
She had been motionless throughout the night for what I believed to be a result of my influence. I had provided her with every ounce of power I could muster, but let up as she fell into REM. I monitored her consciousness and physicality during the night and augmented my influence accordingly, leaving her suspended in her deepest state.
The entirety of the experience had left me in a sorry state. I would need to go hunting once Alice was off on her own again. I did not mind her vulnerability at all. It was…intoxicating.
"Hmmmm." She murmured unintelligibly while performing felinesque stretches.
"G'mornin' Darlin'. Did you rest soundly?" I issued with a smile of my own this time.
She propped herself up on her elbows on my chest, sleepiness still in her eyes. I fully retracted my gift gently and stroked a stray strand of hair out of her beautiful face allowing my hand to linger on her flushed cheek.
She nodded, a devilish look growing on her face. She rapidly spun up out of bed and danced around the room settling at the window.
"You're really beautiful you know that?" She swirled around hugging her arms to her chest and admiring the light reflecting off of me with every motion.
I huffed as I raised myself from the bed, setting the comforter and pillows back into their rightful positions.
I approached her, fully aware of our size difference as I spun her back towards the window, all the while resting my chin on her head. I issued a gentle yet firm kiss on her crown, inhaling her scent deeply. I felt the all too familiar burn resonating deep in my throat, but it was lesser, easier somehow. Still, I pushed the thought, and the accompanying growl, to the back of my head shifting in my place.
"I've never seen the town from this far up South Mountain. It's breathtaking. Perfectly acquainted with its…occupants." She giggled while snuggling further into my arms and chest. I froze slightly, calculating each and every move. As much as I refused to admit it, I needed to get away from her enthralling and fragile self.
It pained me to start, "The bathroom next door has the same view if you'd like to inspect Esme's exuberant bathroom choices." I breathed into her ear.
She twisted in my arms, narrowing her eyes up at me.
"Are you trying to get rid of me…or worse," she gasped. "Are you trying to say I stink?" She teased attempting to withhold the smile manifesting itself on her delicate face.
"Not at all my Darlin'. I only assumed you could use a refresher…I know from conversations with Edward that 'human moments' were a necessary reminder for him with Bella." I laughed.
Her face softened as the thought rattled around her mind.
"Will there be bubbles?"
I lowered my head in a snicker. "I'm sure Ness has some around here somewhere." I held my hand out to her.
Alice held her head up high, a renewed sense of confidence and calm washed over her from the moment of her awakening. Her composure was astounding really.
I showed her to the bathroom, pulling out a few towels and the requested bubbles. I drew the bath as close to 'suitably warm' as I could figure.
After a few moments of her tapping her foot at me I had given up.
"Temperature gauging is a fraction difficult in our condition." I offered apologetically.
"I believe I can manage. Thank you, my wonderfully southern gentleman." She reached her face closer to mine, pulling herself up on my shoulders to issue a kiss on my cheek.
I ducked my head at her and exited the door soundlessly as she began undressing. I shook my head hard banishing the thoughts once again from my mind.
I made my way to the front door preparing for my hunt by removing my shoes and socks. I paused a moment to express my intentions to Edward, begging him to guard her in my absence. It wasn't till after his distant laugh that I felt a particularly large presence appear suddenly behind me. I slumped forward with a chuckle as I raised myself to find Emmett in a similar arms-crossed situation as Alice was earlier.
"Yes brother?" I laughed as I already was keen to his demands.
"Were you going to leave without me dude?" he pouted.
"Why of course not," I surrendered. I motioned my head towards the forest. "Ladies first." Though I might have much preferred him guard Alice, he might just serve better guarding me from myself.
He issued a wicked smile before darting aggressively through the door, shoving me out of his way. I took off easily behind him. Emmett was large in frame and strength, but was the slowest of us all because of this. I launched myself past him before he could reach out for a tackle. He stumbled over himself at the motion and tumbled down the edge of the ravine I had propelled myself over.
I could tell he knew I needed this release. I decided then too that I did in fact.
With an earth shattering landing he righted himself with an ever-growing smile before he dove deeper into the water. He disappeared until he had reached the waterfall of which he hurled himself up with ease, but certainly not grace. Huge boulders gave way under his curled fists, tumbling to the water now a hundred yards down.
He reached the top of the falls as I had. He had flung himself into the air, reminiscent of a flying squirrel, limbs sprawled out to either side. He had intended to land on me, but I quickly grabbed his left arm and yanked him around me and into the nearby tree line. He disappeared with rumbling laughter.
We continued this back and forth, feeding on the random wildlife along the way. It wasn't until we came across a much too familiar scene for predators that I stalled. I froze in a low crouch as I watched a tom mountain lion encircling a young lioness. I could sense the 'emotionality' of the two animals. The female was terrified, sunken low into the ground, rapidly moving her head to and fro seeking a quick exit. The male…he oozed a sense of pride, conquest, the senses of a natural and effective marauder. He was prepared to take what he desired. I vibrated with anger at the scene.
"Jas? You alright dude?" Emmett came up behind me cautiously.
I issued my most feral of sounds before viscously attacking the tom. Toying with him, until I could sense the same emotions from him as I had the lioness. I slashed into him once to notify him that this was his last endeavor. I turned to the lioness, still frozen. After snarling a warning shot at her, she made her way away from the scene slowly. Turning my attention back to the tom with a smile, I looked deep into his eyes. I saw him for what he really was. Not a simple predatory species, but a ruffian among said species. A monster.
I had given into my most ferocious of desires. It had been some time before I finally came to. I raised myself, wiping the blood from my face and neck. I was awarded a horrified glance from Emmett, still standing where he had approached me from behind.
I walked past him, paying him no attention. I continued to the edge of the ravine and launched myself over and into the water. I stripped myself of any unnecessary clothing, only remaining my briefs which had remained moderately acceptable after my conquest.
"…Jasper. Can we have a talk bro?" Emmett inquired gently from a mile up stream.
I flashed my way to him, skidding to a halt in front of him and meeting his gaze. There was concern and confusion on the forefront of his emotions. I titled my head toward him.
"Yeah?" I murmured cautiously.
Emmett raised his eyebrows, mouth slightly agape. "Jas. What the hell was that about? I…I've never seen you like that bro."
"You play with grizzlies all the time do you not?" I shrugged my shoulders and turned away from him, surveying the woods around us, locking my attention on a heard of deer about five miles due north.
He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, "Yeah, I guess I do…But Jas, that wasn't playing man. That was…something else. You can talk to me Jasper. I'm not as dense as everyone likes to pretend I am ya' know?"
I removed my attention from the heard and back to Emmett. I met his eyes and shifted my gaze back and forth avoiding him. "Em…you know that's not what I meant. I know I can…confide in you. We all do not think that little of you." Throwing my hands up at him.
"Then talk to me dude. You can't go home like this. Not to her."
I growled at his insinuation, but quickly realized the truth behind his words. I dropped into the water, head in-between my knees and hands tangled in my blood matted hair.
He plopped heavily down into the water next to me, water splashing up around me. I welcomed the feeling, washing the sickening feeling off of my frame. I shuttered and felt pained by the realization of my actions…at what I had allowed myself to become. What I had been fighting against for almost two centuries.
"So…was it like…you…related to it? Like you saw yourself as the lion?" Emmett started gently.
I stiffened, each muscle along my exposed body visibly tensing.
"Alright," he started enthusiastically, straightening himself eagerly next to me holding his palms up on his knees. "That's understandable man!"
"Relating to an occurrence and nightmarishly destroying an entity because you see yourself in it is the furthest thing from understandable." I murmured into my legs.
"No, no, no…You don't get it. The fact that you recognized a part of you in something else…and you wanted to get rid of it in something else…That's beautiful dude. That's growth!" he tapped my shoulder gently.
I raised my head to look out through the ravine into the sun.
"If you were attacking the thing for other reasons like…I don't know dude…umm…like if you wanted to see it suffer? That would be the 'monstrous' thing to do." He used air quotes, child-like determination gleaming in his eyes. Emmett was correct, we did dismiss him far too frequently.
Emmett had this chaotic yet…innocent air about him. One of carefree wonders and simplicity. But this did not exclude him from complex thought. Emmett had lacked formal education in his past life but has more than made up for it in his afterlife, yet he maintained the easy demeaner of ignorance. It suited him.
I met his awaiting eyes, still glistening. His emotions swirled intensively in the space around us contrary to the constantly flowing atmosphere. His statements had been genuine, and it was evident he wasn't trying to paint the idea with a rose-colored varnish…he meant what he said. There was something else there. Something I had often felt within the family. A sense I had come to associate with familial endearment. It was vastly different from what I had associated with 'love' experienced from Alice, yet equally as intense and potent.
"You really believe that don't you." I whispered.
"Every word of it, Jas…I wouldn't just blow smoke up your ass." He frowned. "It'd be much easier to let you mope ya' know. But I care about you. You're my brother damnit." He shouldered me in a playfully manner. "Com'n, lets finish up and get back home. I'm starting to get a tingle from seeing you all wet in your tighty-whities and all cowboy." He prodded as he splashed up from the water.