Chapter Three: Aspiration
"No, she's still responsive." A male's voice reverberated. Though the unconscious girl hadn't understood a word that was said. Everything sounded muffled.
Alice wasn't exactly sure what had happened, she barely recalled being in a coffee shop. One second talking to Jasper, the next she was engulfed in darkness. Currently, her vision and hearing were impaired, only seeing white blotches of lights and only hearing illegible muttering whenever someone spoke, which was accompanied by the constant buzz of the music playing in the background. Her first response was to try and figure out what happened, and instinctively she tried to get up, only to be kept down by two sets of hands. On her left side, the hands were small, warm. On the right, the hand was larger, cold.
"Jasper?" She questioned, moving her hand over his, her fingers squeezing around him. "Yes." He confirmed, either to Alice or to whoever was on the other end of the line. Without influencing her, he could feel her sudden trust in him. Though he didn't think anything of it, he was the only familiar object in an unfamiliar setting, it was natural for her to cling to whatever normalcy possible.
"How are you feeling?" The waitress asked, curiously glancing between the two, trying to figure their relationship out. Jasper frequently visited, and she knew the Brandon's recently moved to town, yet, these two seemed mismatched. Perhaps it was because the Cullen's normally kept to themselves, it was strange to see someone else around them. "I've been better," Alice replied, with a half chuckle.
At least she could understand what people were saying now. Even the music, which had been just white noise, was now definable. And her memory was clearer now, recalling the intense headache which led her to the ground. "Oh my god, you're going to tell my parents," Alice spoke a second later, coming to the realization that Jasper was likely talking to his father. "I'd be best for your parents to know, in case this happens again, dear." The waitress cooed.
Blinking, her vision started to clear, the different shades of browns, tans, and reds becoming distinguishable from each other. The bright blotches were now diming and taking the form of fairy lights and lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. The waitress stood, seeing that Alice was conscious, one hand placed over her stomach, her skin was glowing, showing that she was with child. Jasper kept her supported while talking on the phone, looking away from her, seemingly focusing on the dust which had collected under the table.
He hung up the phone, sliding it into his pocket, before moving his hands under her, picking the petite girl up and sitting her back in the booth. His movements were quick and flawless, impressing the onlookers.
"I asked my father to come and make sure you were alright before you head home." His tone was soft, letting no one aside from Alice hear his words.
"You didn't have to."
"Alice… You hit your head."
She gave him a puzzled look. "But, I feel fine?"
Jasper was currently feeding her lies, false, negative emotions. Anxiety, displeasure. Planning to keep her there long enough for Edward to lock onto her mind, try and decipher what she knew about them. If she knew anything. And it was a way for him to clear his name, Edward would see that he hadn't told her a thing.
Turning to face the waitress, he explained the situation and assured her not to worry about Alice, as she was in good hands. She was content with his words, -whether she wanted to be or not-, and continued tending to the other customers.
But, being in close proximity with two humans was starting to take a toll on him. Both the girl's scents mingling and tempting him, Alice's pulse quickened as a surge of anxiety flowing through her. His hunger was amplifying, eyes locked on the woman walking away. The wood of the table cracking beneath his hand, while he attempted to resist the frenzies pull, his urge to slaughter everyone in the restaurant. He'd recently fed, yet hunger was plaguing him again, burning the base of his throat, creeping up, urging him to act on his instincts.
The expression on his face was fierce and a wave of worry extended from the small human next to him. Before he had the chance to relax her, she placed her hand over his, fingers curling around him. Her concern remained but was joined by a mix of yearning and nervousness. She was shyly glancing down, the corners of her mouth tugged upwards, positive emotions flowing into him.
He turned his hand, cupping theirs together. Alice was a very good distraction, able to break through his hold, just to comfort him. From seeing her in the cafeteria, he could feel the strange attachment she held for him, and it increased each minute they were together.
Jasper thought about whisking her away, turning her, and whenever her transformation was complete re-joining Peter and Charlotte and traveling the world. Surely, with Alice at his side, he wouldn't struggle with the negative emotions his victims emitted. Her emotions would easily overpower them. But, he had no guarantee that she'd accept his vampiric identity.
Absentmindedly, he began stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, which awarded him with a stronger flow of desire. And Alice began to consider pursuing a relationship with him. If both of them had been older, not living under their parent's roof, she would've strongly suggested a one-night stand between them. Maybe after one night, she'd asked for another evening, entertaining the idea of having frequent visits with him.
The cafe bell chimed again, an older blond male walking in. His iris's nearly matched Jasper's, aside from the traces of orange. Exhaustion plagued him, having similar purplish bruises under his eyes. This was definitely Jasper's father, Doctor Cullen. Following him inside was the moody bronze-haired Cullen, much to Jasper's disapproval.
"Mary was it?" The doctor called, approaching the table, both his sons exchanging glances, Edward's flickering down to their clasped hands, which certainly wasn't helping Jasper's innocence plea.
"Alice." She corrected, her eagerness lessening, as her nerves increased, intimidated by not only how young the doctor looked but how the entire Cullen family shared this strange otherworldly beauty. "Alice." He repeated, "I heard you took quite the spill. How do you feel now?"
"I, uh, I feel fine. Aside from a headache."
Carlisle noticed that she wasn't looking at him, rather curiously glancing between his sons, who looked like they were having a mental argument, both sporting scowls. Turning to them, the doctor spoke, "Why don't you both wait outside, and give Alice some space.
They agreed, Jasper squeezing Alice's hand before pulling his free and walking towards the exit. Both boys proceeded to walk around the building towards the parking lot, where no humans around.
"If you turn her, the Volturi will be breathing down our necks," Edward commented, glaring at the elder vampire. "Didn't you promise Esme you wouldn't do anything to endanger our family?"
"Always prying. Can't you mind your own business?" Jasper shot back, though maintaining a relaxed postured.
"Planning to kidnap the new girl, whose family has been on the mind of most of Forks' population, isn't very wise."
"Monitor her mind, Edward, not mine."
The air between the two was tense, both analyzing each other, looking for any signs of attack.
"If your thoughts weren't so loud I-" Edward froze mid-sentence, locking onto Alice's thoughts. Her mind wasn't focused on her condition, rather the visions she'd seen as she traced the lines on his hand, specifically the life and fate lines, Alice felt as if these were connected. Intertwined hands and a kiss. She was confused.
"She's gifted." He mouthed.
A gifted human was usually difficult to find, most humans weren't aware of their gift and yet, Alice was fully aware, contemplating what her visions meant. Trying to decide if she should tell Jasper what she'd seen in her visions, or if she should keep her ability a secret.
Raising a brow, Jasper glanced towards her energy, as if a brick wall wasn't separating them. "Alice?"
"Yes. She has precognitive visions. But, they're subjective and random, she has very little control over them." There were a few minutes of silence between the two males as Edward concentrated on Alice's thoughts. "You've been her focus."
"I asked if she could read my palm."
"That isn't what I'm referring to. Before she knew who any of us were, she knew you."
Alice was barely responding to Carlisle's questions, and he realized as such, yet continued talking, allowing Edward to get a precise reading on her. See if she really was a danger to the family.
Worry came over her as she recalled the first vision she had of him, the vision of her meeting him in the coffee shop. She had the sudden realization that she wasn't exhausted as she'd been in the vision, she was quite alert and awake, and aside from the headache -which she commonly suffered from- she felt alright. A thought ran through her mind; 'Did I meet him too soon?'
Hannah expressed that Jasper visited the shop often, and rather than waiting for a day she was tired, Alice immediately flocked to him. What had come over her, making her act so rashly?
"- You don't seem to be concussed." The doctor spoke, snapping Alice out of her daze. She hoped that whatever he'd said before then wasn't important.
"I honestly don't remember hitting my head."
"It's likely you fell unconscious before hitting the ground."
Alice was suspicious, not in his confidence as a doctor, but she wasn't trusting their story. If she had hurt herself when she fell, wouldn't she feel it now? Wouldn't there be at least some essence of pain aside from a headache? At least if this fall was enough to worry Jasper. Deciding to keep quiet about her doubts, she thanked the doctor for coming to look her over.
"You're not going to tell me…?" Jasper was in disbelief at his brother's words. He'd seen whatever visions Alice had, he knew exactly what she'd seen in his future and he wasn't going to tell his covenmate a thing.
"It's not my decision to tell you." The boy shrugged his shoulders.
"No, but, the second I'm away from everyone, the entire house will know, won't they?"
The younger boy chuckled, earning a glare from the other.
A jiggle reached the two boys' ears, causing them to instantly cease their chatter, as Alice and Carlisle rounded the corner a second later. The doctor convinced Alice to let him drive her home, though she realized it was only an excuse to tell her mother about the incident that occurred. Though, since she lived so close, even if she'd refused he probably would've followed her regardless.
"We're going to take Alice home, she lives down the street." Carlisle addressed his sons.
Alice was worried and confused, a fraction of fear emitting from her. Registering this, Jasper reached out, offering his hand, and she easily took it. Carlisle and Edward exchanged a glance, this was uncharacteristic of Jasper. Usually, he loathed being so close to humans he couldn't kill.
Upon reaching the car, Jasper opened the door for Alice, and she quickly slid over, keeping him from having to walk back around to the other side. Again, their hands linked together. Edward caught on to his tactic; Rather than artificially soothing her with his ability, he opted to calm her naturally.
The closer they got to her house, the more anxious she became and the tighter she held onto the vampire's hand. From his thought's Edward realized their newest vegetarian was worried about a human. Her emotions before had been so positive, she was so pleasant to be around, and now, there was only a faint glimmer of happiness and excitement she'd originally felt. Jasper felt responsible for this and wanted to bring her happiness back. He also wanted to befriend her to learn what she'd seen in her visions.
Once they pulled up, Alice's eyes darted around, looking for her father's car, relieved when she discovered he still hadn't made it home. The hint of a smile lined Jasper's face, feeling some of her worry lift.
Again, he opened the door for the human girl, spooking her with how quickly he made it around the car, causing Edward to frown. But, she didn't think anything of it, believing she'd simply spaced out, not seeing him walk to the other side.
Edward stayed in the car, as the other three made their way towards the front door, Carlisle taking the lead, while the children lagged behind him. Lillian met them at the entrance, having heard the car doors shut, afraid that Alice had gotten in trouble.
At this point, Alice tugged her hand away from Jasper's, not wanting to play 101 questions with her mother once the Cullen's left.
"Mary Alice, you're not getting yourself in trouble, are you?" She chimed with a worried tone.
Carlisle smiled, hoping to ease her concerns. "No, she isn't in any trouble. However, she did suffer from an intense migraine, which caused her to faint."
Lillian looked over the doctor's shoulder examining her daughter who was sheepishly avoiding eye contact with her. Her mother was very aware that these episodes were usually caused by Alice straining her ability.
"I've already examined her, and I assure you there is no need to worry."
While Lillian and Carlisle conversed, Jasper subtly tugged at the sleeve of Alice's flannel. "Would you be against me visiting later?" He asked, keeping his voice down, watching Lillian's movements, making sure she wouldn't take notice of their conversation.
"Tonight?"
"After everyone is asleep."
Her heart fluttered. Was Jasper asking to sneak into her room when no one would be awake to notice? She wondered if he was the type of guy that slept around? Did he see her as just another option? Why did she want to accept the offer? Feeling lust suddenly resurface, he decided to clarify what he wanted. "I just want to talk, you kinda passed out mid-conversation."
"Oh!" She exclaimed, a bit relieved that he wasn't asking to spend the evening in her bed. "Yeah, of course. My room is around the left corner, last window." Alice surprised herself at how willingly she'd agreed to let this boy she barely knew climb into her window. But, she didn't feel any reason to distrust him.
"Midnight a good time?"
"As long as you're quiet."
Panic spiked through Lillian when the gravel crunched as a silver Porsche pulled into the driveway. Her eyes darted towards the sound, in turn causing Alice to glance behind her, copying the same anxiety her mother felt, while the car resonated with a mix of irritation and anger.
Jasper flashed their emotions over to Carlisle, who maintained a pleasant smile as Edgar stepped out of his car. The doctor could see the change in both girls' demeanors as the man approached.
"What did you do?" Edgar asked, glaring daggers at Alice, concluding that she spouted her nonsense about visions to a classmate and now had a doctor coming to talk to them about sending her to 'therapy' or whatever psychological help they wanted him to waste his money on.
"You must be Mr. Brandon, exactly who I wanted to see!"
More worry shot through Lillian, believing that Carlisle was going to repeat everything to her husband since he was the head of the house. As their neighbors in Biloxi had done whenever she tried to withhold information from him.
"Your daughter has a few classes with my son, she speaks very fondly of you. I've been searching for the perfect gift to give my wife for our upcoming anniversary, and I was hoping to schedule a meeting with you."
Both the girls and Edgar seemed to calm down, Edgar's due to Jasper's influence. He and Carlisle spoke for a few minutes before Carlisle bid the family goodbye, and the children said their goodbyes. The doctors lie put Edgar in a good mood, so neither of the girls had to endure his lectures and Alice was able to sneak off to her room without her mother following, pestering her with questions.
But, she wasn't about to escape the torment.
Alice was called to dinner, and with Edgar home, their meals were normally silent. He believed meals were meant for eating, not for conversing. It also taught the girls never to chew with their mouths open, because they didn't have any reason to open their mouths.
Tonight, Edgar broke the silence, asking one simple question, "Mary, are you seeing the doctor's boy?"
She quickly finished her bite, not wanting to make her father wait for an answer. "Um, no, we're just classmates."
"That's a shame, you should consider it."
"You two would make a cute couple." Lillian chimed in. She'd wanted Alice to find a good guy, marry quickly and get out of the house so that Edgar wasn't always breathing down her neck.
"Just don't go mentioning your hallucinations, you'll scare the poor boy away," Edgar added, looking up at her, making sure she was listening.
The second dinner was finished, Alice excused herself, heading back to her room, pretending to get ready for bed. Closing and locking her bedroom door, she let her hair down, combing it out while she ran the water for a warm, relaxing bath.
"Edward told me you were going to see that girl." The older woman spoke, joining her adoptive son on the balcony.
"Yes, I am."
Both vampires leaned against the railing, staring out into the distance rather than looking towards one another. "Why?" Her tone expressed concern, her body radiated lament. Both informing the male of an untold story. The coven's matriarch felt sorry for the stray vampire, giving him sympathy for being the only member who hadn't found his mate. Nor had he been adjusting to their lifestyle, or began to think of them as a family. He knew that wave of consolation all too well.
Dropping his gaze, he focused on the dirt below them, knowing she wouldn't accept any lie he told her. She frowned. "Jasper, why are you going to see her?"
A brief silence filled the air, while he read the woman's emotions, trying to decipher her thinking. "I'm not going to hurt her." He confirmed, wondering if that's what her distress was about.
Esme gently placed her hand over his. "I know. What I'm asking is, do you know why you're going to see her? Are you really that curious about your future, or is your curiosity embedded in Alice, herself?"
He was unable to answer.
The clock wasn't moving. No matter how much Alice silently pleaded, it wouldn't speed up. She huffed in frustration, rolling over to stare at the window, which she'd left open to better hear her friends approach. Everyone else had been asleep in the house for nearly two hours now, leaving Alice to herself, and nothing she could do made the wait any easier to bear.
She'd bathed, shaved, brushed her hair and applied lotion everywhere, along with a slight spritz of the coconut/vanilla scented perfume she adored so much. Alice also picked out a dark blue, satin chemise and pulled on a pale yellow robe over it. Still mulling over the idea of her new friend asking for a more intimate evening.
Standing, she walked over to the window, leaning on the sill, staring out toward the forest. Before too long, while she was lost in thought, chilled fingers brushed across her arm, resulting in her gasping, and leaping back. "My apologies." Her friends' voice echoed as she composed herself.
"I don't know how I didn't notice you, I must've been daydreamin."
Jasper held a certain beauty under the moonlight, he was already gorgeous but, there was something about how the soft light danced across his skin. He was intimidating. "So, what was so important that you needed to talk to me tonight, rather than waiting till class?"
"It may be rather difficult for you to make a killing off palm reading if you don't tell your customer their future. I also figured we'd avoid undesired attention."
"Yes, I don't want to be the laughing stock of the entire town." She smiled. "Do you need help climbing up?"
A quick glance around to make sure he was the only being around, aside from Alice and her sleeping family. "I've gotten pretty good at sneaking in and out over the years. But, if you want to assist, could you back away and close your eyes?"
The pixie was a bit perplexed by this request, though she agreed and stood, backing away several steps before closing her eyes. Butterflies of excitement and wonder rushed through her while her new friend leaped through the window without the slightest sound. Standing in front of her he wondered if she realized just how close he was? If she knew he was practically breathing down her neck? Her scent was intoxicating, even more so then when he'd held her at the cafe earlier that day. Alice was in her natural habitat, comfortable.
"Can I open my eyes yet?" She questioned, linking hands behind her back while leaning forward on the balls of her feet. "You may."
Alice was warm, fluttering, and buoyant, Jasper hadn't felt such a strong pull of positive energy in quite some time. Yet, here was this girl, with more than enough reason to be bitter, spiteful and negative that enraptured him. He yearned to stand at her side.
"Wow, have you been practicin' your stealth? I didn't hear a thing."
"You asked me to be quiet and I obliged."
They two conversed for a while, eventually choosing to sit down, she on her bed and Jasper settling on the chair placed in front of her vanity. She'd explained how she read his palm, what each of the four major lines meant; The first was the heart line, which started below his middle finger. It was broken in places, with small scratch marks crossing over- This signified emotional trauma. The second, the headline, also broken, representing inconsistencies in his thoughts. The line was straight, showing that normally he was a practical thinker but recently his thought process was uncertain. The third, the life line, it was curved, close to his thumb, showing his exhaustion. This line was also shallow and short, meaning he was easily manipulated by others. Finally, there was the fate line, a line which not everyone possessed. This line showed that he was emotional and often let his emotions rule.
"And what does all that tell you about my future?"
She smiled, "Well, I'd say you're looking for companionship."
Alice was good, like all other fortune-tellers, she gave vague answers only replying with the information she already knew, phrased slightly different to catch humans off guard. But, it was obvious he was alone, he sat with his family at school, each of his adoptive siblings had their mate, while he had no one. He was alone at the cafe as well.
"Where did you learn to read palms?" He questioned nonchalantly. "Oh, um, my cousin. He lived in Louisianna, New Orleans actually." Alice pronounced it as OR-lins, rather than the common misconception of Naw-lins. "We once took a trip there and he got a woman that works at Marie Leveau's House of Voodoo to teach me." She sighed, "My father wasn't very pleased when he found out…"
Jasper's brows pulled together, recalling how that man had acted earlier. "How come?" He tried keeping a polite tone, despite his distaste for the man.
"He doesn't like me talking about my-" She hesitated, close to spilling her secret. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk about it, people usually get freaked out and I don't want to ruin our potential friendship."
Hoping to reassure her, he spoke; "Whatever it is, you're not going to frighten me away. But, if you're not ready, I'm not going to pressure you."
"Thanks…"
Continuing idle chatter, Alice asked about the area, wondering about restaurants, bookstores, and clothing outlets. There were a couple of places nearby she was interested in, but, the clothing stores seemed to be secondhand, she'd likely have to plan a trip out to Seattle to find the styles she preferred. Jasper was closely monitoring her emotions, which were turbulent, difficult to read. She wanted to tell him what she'd seen, yet, she was afraid that he'd treat her like everyone else, his disassociate from her and begin calling her a witch or a changeling. Alice was fighting herself, deciding to tell him one second, only to silence herself before she could even open her mouth.
Finally, around 1:00 AM, Jasper alerted her that he should leave, if either of them were going to get any sleep. He bid her goodnight before standing heading over to the window mumbling about seeing her at school the next day when she grabbed his hand, calling out: "Wait!" The chime of her voice caught him off guard.
A wave of guilt erupted from her, matching the expression on her face. "Is something wrong?" He questioned, glancing back at Alice. Taking a deep breath, a small flame of determination sparked its way to the surface. "Yes." A trace of confidence in her tone. "My father doesn't want me to tell anyone about my gift, but, it involves you, and you have a right to know…"
"You don't owe me an explanation."
"I know!" She interrupted. "I want to tell you, Jasper. I want to prove to my father that he's wrong…"
The vampire turned to face the small human. A frown lined her face and he hated it. She was happy, carefree, a look of sorrow didn't belong on her.
"Alright."
Her eyes fell to the floor while crossing her arms. "Where do I even begin?" She asked herself more than him. "Do you believe in magic or miracles? Whatever you wanna call it..."
Jasper rested his hand on her shoulder, hoping to comfort her. "Magic, yes. Miracles, not so much."
"I know it sounds insane but, I guess you could say I have a type of magic. Ever since I was little, I've had these glimpses, visions of the future. I don't know how or why, and sometimes they aren't accurate, but, I've figured out that I can force them, and at the cafe when I was reading your palm, I did just that. But, I didn't see just you…" Her cheeks darkened, "I saw both of us, together. Like, together-together. I think."
The room went quiet, Alice couldn't meet his gaze, she was far too embarrassed for that. The longer they were silent, the stronger her sorrow grew. Jasper was trying to process what she'd told him, he understood why Edward hadn't said a word about it, this wasn't Edward's message to relay.
"I understand if you don't believe me, or you think I'm weird…" She sighed, her voice breaking.
"Why wouldn't I believe you?"
"Because it sounds crazy! Because it is crazy! I mean, I barely know you, and here I am telling you I'm psychic, and that we have a future together, that just sounds psycho!" She shrieked, keeping her voice as quiet as possible, to avoid waking her parents up. A heat traveled to her face, attempting to spill out of her eyes.
"Alice, you're not insane. You have a gift. I'm grateful that you decided to share it with me."
She looked up to him, a liquid sheen brightening the iris of her eyes, swallowing, Alice felt the lump forming in her throat. Her arms slipped under his, wrapping around his waist as she pressed face into his jacket.
Her aroma still smelled intoxicating, but, Jasper managed to push the thought from his mind, wanting nothing more than to see the smile return to her face. He returned the embrace, holding her for quite some time as she softly wept, overwhelmed by everything going through her mind.
Alice's breathing was shaky, calming the longer they held each other until she felt comfortable enough to release her grip, wiping her tears off on the sleeve of her robe. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so emotional, I just, I didn't want to mess things up."
"Don't apologize for being upset. You have the right, you were scared. I'm going to keep your secret and-" He paused, lost in thought, "I'd like to start seeing you. Even if all we do is go to the cafe once a week." He'd likely get an earful from Edward and the rest of the family but, Alice was different from other humans, she intrigued him.
"But, we can talk more about that tomorrow, right now, we do need to get some rest," Jasper demanded, and Alice seemed to comply, giving him a slow nod, stifling a yawn.
They bid each other goodnight yet again before Jasper left her window, heading around the house until she could no longer see him. Once out of sight he leaped on the roof of the house, circling around and dropping down near her window long enough to make sure she was in her bed, before using his gift to calm her mind and lull her to sleep.
To be continued...