A/N: Hello, fellow readers! I hope all is well. I had a hard time deciding who's POV this one should be in. Nevertheless, I present you with the next chapter. I hope you like it! Please remember to leave a review! Without further adieu…
Chapter Three: Jasper's POV
It was moments like these that kept me going when I was transitioning into this new life with Carlisle. Just Alice and I having a few peaceful moments away from our home with them. We love our family but I will always have that nomadic tendency in me. And Alice understood that.
We were sitting together in the Square in town. Alice had wanted to check out one of the local boutiques, then we just ended up sitting on one of the benches across the street. We then ended up just people watching. For a small town, this one seemed to always be buzzing with activity.
After a while, I noticed Melinda Gordon, Carlisle's new patient, stroll out of her store. Anxiety and guilt were rolling off her in waves. Whatever was going on was affecting her deeply.
As soon as she reached the other side of the street, across the Square from us I heard her talking but nobody was there. I didn't hear the buzzing voice from an earpiece either.
"Carl, I really don't have time for this right now. The store is very busy." She paused glaring at something. "Then why couldn't Eli call me?... Fine. Tell him I'm on my way. But this had better be important." Then her eyes went wide in reaction to something and her hands flew to her flat stomach. Carlisle had said that she was still early in her pregnancy. She hurried to her car and sped away.
"Odd," Alice said. "Should we follow her?"
"No. Let's go speak to Carlisle." I led her to the car.
Her eyes became unfocused for a brief second. "He's at the hospital." I opened her door for her and she gracefully hopped in then I made my way to the driver's side door at a brisk human walk.
When I got in she had her phone out. "I just shot him a text that we are on our way."
"Will he see it?" I knew that he usually kept his personal phone on silent when he was at work.
"Yes. And he will meet us in the lobby."
Sure enough, just as Alice had predicted, Carlisle was waiting for us. He led us to a small, nearly deserted hallway.
"What's going on? Alice said it was urgent," he said.
"It's about Melinda. She was acting strangely in the Square today."
"What do you mean?"
"She was talking to herself. No. Carl. She said the name 'Carl'."
"She could have been speaking on the phone with a Bluetooth earpiece." Carlisle was trying to rationalize with me.
"Not likely. She was close enough that I could hear her heartbeat. I couldn't hear any other voices anywhere near her."
"Maybe she just talks to herself."
"She was reacting. She glared at something."
"She could have been glaring at nothing."
"No. Her eyes were focused on something. Also, I could feel that she was anxious and guilty."
"Mental illness maybe?... Schizophrenia?"
"Here's the kicker. This 'Carl' character told her to go meet someone... An Eli."
"Dr. Eli James, maybe? He is a psychologist at the hospital as well as a professor at the university. He also runs a small practice out of his office."
"Possibly. But I doubt any mental illness. Edward would have seen that in her mind."
"It could be episodic in nature. Perhaps she has blackouts?"
"It still doesn't fit. I think something else is going on."
"Maybe she has a power," Alice piped up. "like telepathy maybe."
"That's quite a strong power to show itself in a human," Carlisle said. "Eleazar has never mentioned seeing anything so powerful in a human in all his years."
"Humans with powers almost never have control over their powers. And it doesn't explain why her eyes focused so well on something that wasn't there."
"Go talk to Edward," Carlisle finally decided. "Get his input. Then we can all talk about it when I get home from work."
I nodded then turned to Alice and led her back the way we came and back to the car. We drove in silence to the house. As we rounded the corner we saw Edward leading Bella, Nessie, and Jacob toward the main house. He must have heard in mine or Alice's thoughts that we needed to speak to him and assumed he needed to get everyone together.
"What's going on?" Edward demanded as soon as Alice and I walked in the door.
"It's about Melinda. She was acting strangely in the square today."
"Carlisle's new patient?" Bella asked. Alice nodded.
"What exactly happened?" As soon as Edward had asked the question, he saw his answer in my mind. I also relayed my conversation with Carlisle to him.
"Strange indeed," he agreed. "None of those theories do seem to fit quite right, do they?"
Discussion continued for a few minutes before Edward asked, "Alice, do you foresee Melinda's current decisions leading her to discover our secret?"
Her eyes went blank for a moment. I watched and felt as Edward's tensed shoulders relaxed.
"No," Alice said for the rest of our family. "Melinda's current path will not lead to her discovering us."
A/N: Please leave a review. I need to know if you like it or hate it or what I could do better.