The first thing Bella observed about the dreary November morning in Forks was that it was cold. Not the slight breeze on a rainy morning cold that they had had back in Phoenix, but the bone chilling, body shivering freezing cold that seemed to seep into your skin. It caused her no comfort as she bemoaned having to reach out from beneath the mountain of blankets she had piled herself under to stop her alarm clock.
Today was going to be her first day at Forks high school, a small town school with small town teenagers who had grown up with each other. She had hoped that she would be able to stay in the background and remain mostly unnoticed until her graduation in two years. But if her first day at the school went anything like her first day in town had it was not likely.
Fighting the urge to curl up in a ball under the covers she forced herself to push them down off her shoulders and onto her waste. Shivering in the cold air she wrapped her arms around herself and felt her teeth clacking against each other as she was wracked with gust after gust of cold air.
No longer protected by the blankets she made quick work of shutting off her alarm clock and getting out of bed. The sooner she gathered her things the sooner she would be able to get warm. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a shirt from the suitcase she had yet to unpack she resolved that her shower could wait for that evening, she was not eager to freeze herself with cold hair.
She dressed rapidly and made her way downstairs, bundled tightly in her blue sweater and dark brown jacket. She tugged a worn looking brush through her black locks as she rummaged through the cabinets for something edible. Charlie had obviously not thought about food to eat from home much judging from the lack of substantial edibles within the house.
Finally deciding that toast would have to do until she made her way to the store to get something decent later that afternoon she stuck two pieces in the worn down toaster. Pulling the only slightly suspicious looking grape jelly from the shelf in the fridge she hoped to herself that it was not as old as it might have been. But the fact that it was still of a jello like consistency and not hardened gave her some amount of hope that it would at least serve her for long enough to have some flavor with the bread that was currently getting crisp.
Forks was boring, this was something she had decided on her first day in the town. Everything was mediocre and nothing was out of the ordinary anywhere. There was no unique people walking the streets, no strangers to meet in untimely situations, no angry shouting in the wake of another persons perceived mistake. It was rather disheartening to note the differences between here and the place where she grew up, but it was something she had decided she would need to accept to have some semblance of an actual life here.
The toaster dinged, two crisp and lightly browned browned pieces of bread popped up into the morning air. Her eyes singled out the bread, and she set out to attack it with with the spoon that was covered in jelly. A small smile covered her face at the familiarity of the motion, she'd made toast with breakfast almost every single day back in Phoenix.
It took a few minutes for everything to hit her, but once it did pulling on her newly acquired brown wool lined jacket seemed like a chore. It was something that she wished could drag on forever, but at the same time get finished with as soon as possible. The foreboding feeling that had been building in her chest since she first boarded the plane to Seattle was coming back with a rather intense vengeance. It left her unsettled and tired and wishing that she could do nothing more than crawl back into her bed and avoid what was now her life.
The world enclosed around her as she grabbed her backpack off the floor in the hall by the front door. She slammed the front door behind her, locking it with a furious jerking motion that was meant to hide the shaking in her hands. It was a menial task, opening the door to the giant lumbering red truck, but tossing the bag as far as she could inside of it soothed her growing emotions somewhat. It was not until she was inside of the truck with the door closed securely beside her that she had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed at her attitude in the last few minutes. Grateful that no one had been around to see the uncharacteristic display of emotions.
Hurriedly she shoved the set of keys into the ignition, flinching unabashedly at the loud sputtering noises the engine made as it started up. It broke the peacefulness of the general area as it revved itself up and began to thrum at a volume just loud enough to be uncomfortable. If she hadn't been assured by Charlie that the ancient vehicle drove properly she would have undoubtedly been too fearful to drive it. No matter how unappealing the thought of getting dropped off at school in a police cruiser every morning is.
Taking a deep breath she gripped the wheel tightly and attempted to shove down her nervousness. The last thing she needed was to have a panic attack while driving this thing. She'd probably injure some innocent animal, traumatize a bystander and kill herself all at the same time.
The engine once again rumbled as she shifted the truck into reverse and gave it enough gas that it would start backing up. Pulling into the road was not difficult once she had managed to turn the giant truck successfully around Charlie's mailbox.
Her mental mantra continued on the way to the school building. Well, what she had thought was the school building anyway. Her drive had done very little in terms of calming her down, but she had, somehow, managed to keep herself from getting anymore worked up. But her already disappointing day took a nosedive when she took in the area in front of her as she turned in the driveway just past the sign that read Forks High.
It was not a singular school building like those she was used to in Phoenix, there was not three stories with adjacent halls that connected it to a large sports section. The classes were separated out into different buildings, labeled offices, and buildings one through nine. The students walked towards their first period through the rain and slight slush that was present on the ground, heedless of the little droplets that were landing on their heads and hoods. Then again, unlike her, they were used to this kind of weather.
She could already tell what kind of school this was going to be as she pulled into her chosen parking space. People were standing around in groups, at least the ones who weren't already making their way inside one building or another. It was not hard to tell from the pointed fingers and long glances that the new girl was the conversation topic of choice for many today.
Grabbing her backpack she pulled it onto her lap, hoping that her old schoolbooks from Phoenix would suffice until she could the ones recommended by her teachers. She pulled the key out of the ignition and the truck died with a final roar, before blissfully going silent.
Throwing open the door she climbed out of the truck, slamming the door behind her. It was an odd feeling that she had, almost a tingle that passed through her body. Before settling in the center of her chest in the form of a tug that was somewhat new but also felt like she had been missing it her entire life.
She turned around with her bag hauled over her shoulder, the concrete beneath her feet at the moment her sole point of focus. The urge to look up had see what was causing the pull in her chest was strong, the want to stay invisible until she could graduate was almost stronger. But against her better judgement she looked up and standing at the back end of a sleek silver car was the owner of the most gorgeous golden eyes she had ever seen.
He was tall, that much she did not have to be close to notice. Her eyes struggled to take in everything about him. Honey blond hair was slightly shaggy and just barely wavy, hanging partially in front of his but not shielding him. His skin was pale in pallor but seemed to have a natural tan to it, his face was all sharp angles with soft edges. The rugged kind of cowboy handsome type that she could see having been raised in fields under the stars.
The best part, he was looking right at her with the same intensity that she had felt with her back turned.
He knew that his staring was making her uncomfortable, he could feel it as her emotions washed over him. Though he could not find it in himself to give a damn at the moment because she had taken over everything in his mind. His entire existence was focused in this singular moment and he felt like his entire world had been tilted on its axis but somehow also made sense in a way that it never had before.
It took a moment for her scent to wash over him again, blown in the direction of the group of people standing by the car. He didn't close his eyes but he also took a deep breath through his nose, letting the essence of her wash over him. It left him feeling stronger hold over his bloodlust than he ever had before, but also a weakness that manifested in the form of a tug in the middle of his chest, urging him in her direction.
One would have thought that this would send him running for the hills. All the hard work he had put into being able to be around humans threatening to head down the gutter with the presence of one single human girl. One human girl that seemed to not fully realize the effect she was having on him as she took in his appearance with a thoughtful face. Her eyes shown with an analytical ability that he had seen before a great many times looking in the mirror.
He was aware of the chocked snort behind him that was barely contained. A hard thump sounded and he knew that Rosalie had just elbowed Emmett in the side, after all she knew. Not so long ago it had been her that felt the pull of a singer when she had found Emmett in the woods after the bear attack.
He managed to pull his eyes away from the pale beauty in front of him long enough to look back at his family. They were all staring at him with varying degrees of interest and different emotions flitted through the group. Emmett was amused and happy, Rosalie torn between being happy for him and mourning for the humanity of the girl he had just been looking at Alice. Alice was the same as Emmett, with a knowing look and a small smile on her face that told him she had seen this coming.
Edward was the only one that could pose a problem then, he decided upon taking in the emotions his pseudo brother was projecting. Frustration and curiosity were the most prominent, anger buried just slightly beneath the surface as he took in the thoughts of those around him. He knew that undoubtedly Edward would attempt to talk him out of getting close to her.
"You knew." He didn't need to say anything more as he went back to watching the girls now retreating back. There was nothing else that needed to be said after all; they all knew who he was talking too.
"Yes." Alice answered with confidence and happiness. She gave him a look that screamed that she wanted nothing more than for him to be happy.
"Since when?" On the outside it would seem as though he was being short with her. But it did not take long for the vampires surrounding him to realize he was simply processing the data as fast as possible, one thing that was left from his days in both the Confederate army and with Maria.
"Since that diner in 1963." That was all needed to know why she had pushed so hard for him to be here. Why she had wanted so badly for him to settle in and take to the Cullen family as much as she had. It was her way of making sure that he ended up with the happily ever after that not many of their kind got.
"Okay." He would accept her answer for the current moment. He would request elaboration later in the day when everything had calmed down a little bit. It was a surreal experience but he made sure to send calm in Alice's direction to ensure her that he was not angered by her discretion on the subject. Something he had learned in the years he had known her was that sometimes it was best if a person did not know certain aspects of their own future.
With that he started towards the school building and they all followed his directive as though it was a silent announcement. They spilt directions as they walked towards their respective classrooms. The students parted ways for them as if they were making room for the Israelites to cross the red sea and it morbidly reminded him of the reaction that the newborns always had whenever he entered the area that they were designated to stay in.
He pulled open the door to the classroom, early American History, and walked down the side of the aisle to his seat in the very back. Few students were in the room and he doubted that they were going to bother him. Instincts told them to say stay away and admire from afar even though they did not quite know why. That was one reason why he enjoyed people watching as much as he did. They were rather intriguing creatures and observing their behavior allowed him to see them as more than a warm meal.
Snorting in amusement he idly wondered how the people in the room would feel if they knew the way he looked at them. Or if they knew just how good the aroma they let out into the air was. He imagined that if he didn't have the discipline he did it would be much harder for him to not look st them how he imagined they looked at cooked turkeys on Thanksgiving day.
Hearing his snort they looked back in curiosity as to what he was finding so amusing. Though he knew they would not find it as entertaining a thought as he did. But his self control sadly did not extend much beyond his physical body and as such thoughts still strayed into his head. Not that he intended of never thinking them again but he had resolved long ago at the pleading from Alice to at least try this vegetarian lifestyle that the Cullen family had adopted. Try he would until the moment came that he needed the boost provided by human blood to protect her, at that point all bets would be off and he would have the crimson eyes that they all seemed to loathe. Until that time came though he would follow the example that Carlisle Cullen set even though he knew that the man knew that he did not intend to stay that way from the start.
Shaking himself out of his internal musings he noted that his classmates were filing into the room now. The final bell had tolled before the tardy bell and he had cataloged it as it happened. Their smells all hit him at once and he stopped breathing, a practice he regularly partook in but still moved his shoulders slightly in such a way it did not look like he was sitting perfectly still.
The class itself was not that bad despite the quite ridiculous amount of factual information that they had gotten wrong. Though information being passed down for generations like that was bound to get a little bit mixed up. The teacher was engaging enough and somehow managed to drag him back to his own days in the Texas Calvary whenever she spoke of that particular part of American history. He could feel her genuine enjoyment of the subject she taught and that made the class tolerable.
By the time that it was over he was almost able to forget about the girl from this morning. But the moment he stepped back into the open air and was no longer distracted by the ramblings of his teacher his thoughts began to wonder again. Curiosity about a human was not something he was accustomed too beyond wondering what a particularly good smelling persons blood tasted like. Those kinds of curiosity usually resulted in Edward getting and attitude at him though.
He was halfway to his next class when he noticed her as she stood hopelessly in the middle of the courtyard. She was looking down at the piece of paper in her hands that he could only assume was her schedule and glancing up periodically to search the area around her. It was rather obvious that she was lost and no one was attempting to help her find the proper building that held her class in it.
Smirking slightly he wondered what the harm would be in showing her where a class was. Surely he was allowed to play good samaritan to the helpless teenage girl that just so happened to catch his attention today. Not as though he was planning on taking her out back and pouncing on her like he was some ravenous animal.
He switched his course and walked off of the sidewalk towards the girl. Waiting for her to notice he was approaching was a bit of a task as she seemed to be almost completely unaware outside of what she was doing. Her focus broke, however, when he purposefully stepped on a hardened area of ice on the short clipped grass and it cracked beneath his feet. Stopping short of her, about five feet away, he noted that her face was a light shade of pink at the cold weather.
"Hello." Her eyes kept blinking at him which he found distinctly amusing.
"Umm... hi." It was almost like she did not know exactly what to say to him. Was she that unaccustomed to people stopping to aid her? Or maybe it was just because he had stared at her this morning and then had let her walk away without a proper explanation. There were a lot of things that humans found offensive that he did not get the reasoning behind.
He did remember Alice chastising him about how staring was rude a couple of years back at their last school. The message she was attempting to get across had never felt needed until this current moment. As such he made great effort to blink more and keep his intensity down when he looked at her. Alice had also told him that some people found that that intensity, had them nervous and self-conscious for some reason.
"May I assist you in findin' your next class, ma'am?" The Southern drawl that was always prominent in his voice came out even more as he spoke to her. It was more than likely the Southern gentleman that his mother raised coming back out to play after having been pushed to the background for so long.
"Please, if you don't mind." He truly did not.
When she reached out with her hand to give him the paper with her schedule on it he bypassed it and grabbed her hand. Pulling it up to his mouth he placed a chaste kiss on the skin of her knuckles, smiling slightly when he heard her pulse spike at his motion.
"It would be my pleasure ma'am." He internally jested himself about overdoing it with the old fashioned Southern manners. People did not go around kissing women's knuckles as they did when he was a youthful bachelor. What had been customary back then when meeting a young woman was drastically different from now but his mother would roll over in her grave if she even thought he was treating a lady with anything other than the upmost respect. Even if his interest was purely based on curiosity at this point.
Pulling the paper gently from her grasp he looked down and memorized everything it said in seconds. Her next class was in building number five, room 504. Not that she would have known how to get there as the people who built this campus did not seem to keen on providing the student body with any directional signs. Nor had hey established a tour guide or liaison for new students to show her around the school on her first day there. The amount of disregard they put into her arrival would have been concerning if it was not making it painfully obvious that they hardly ever had new students.
With a smile her gestured in the direction that they needed to go. "Shall we?" A small nod was all he got in response as he began walking to building five with her by his side.
Too soon they were stopping in front of the door and he would have to rush to ensure he was not late to his own class. She had thanked him quickly before stepping inside as fast as possible and walking down the tiled hall looking for the correct door. He discreetly watched until he was certain that she had found the room she was looking for before he turned away and began his trek back to building three. Being late was not typical of the children of the Cullen household, so he was certain that his teacher would not report it especially once she learned that Jasper had been helping the newest person on campus with directions.
Knowing this he smiled to himself, his self control was much better and he had taken the first step. Something that his 'family' would have balked at had they seen it. It was a miracle in and of itself that Alice hadn't seen the moment and taken steps to avoid it.
Though it was much easier than it had been before lunch was still a test of his willpower. His bloodlust was easily ignored now that he had gotten used to constant presence of people. It was more the cocktail of emotions that always filled the room to the brim. Teenagers had such violent emotions that the constant changes and sudden increase of emotions left him feeling world weary more often than not.
It was not an uncommon occurrence for him to be forced to leave the cafeteria when a group of people had a particularly strong reaction to something that happened. But today looked as though it was going to be calmer than the usual atmosphere as everyone was just getting back from Thanksgiving. The emotions in the air were honestly kind of muted due to the increased ire about being back after a break.
He found that he could not blame them though, his own emotions had once been this horrendous to be around he imagined. Not much of his human life remained in his memories but that which did told him he had been a particularly headstrong and emotionally vivid child. He could only presume that that trait of his continued on into the teenage years he hardly remembered as it stuck with him through the transformation and expanded itself into his gift of empathy.
Blowing out an unnecessary breath he nearly flinched when he felt a strong wave of emotion hit him. The owner of it was not a stranger emotionally and he often toyed with the thought of becoming a confidant for this person. Mike Newton was sitting across the room at a table full of people who did not recognize his depression for what it was. The feelings that came towards Jasper from behind the false smile only served to multiply his own and bring them back towards the surface.
Managing to shake himself out of his momentary stupor he noted that most had not realized he had become lost in thought. Rose however was throwing him glances in between the throes of conversation that told him she was not so easily fooled by his walls. Her expression promised a hunting trip soon on which she would attempt to pry at whatever caused him to react so badly.
He lifted the corner of his mouth half heartedly towards her. It was not the most reassuring thing as it was almost entirely fake. But judging from the subtle way that her muscles uncoiled beneath her ivory skin it had gotten the point across. That for now he was alright and that he would not succumb to his memories at the moment. If anyone would understand it was Rose, she had her own demons to fight after all and she knew what it was like to hide the darkest parts of your past and your deepest secrets. Knew the emotions that flooded you whenever you failed to keep them secured behind those mental walls you built.
That was when she entered the room. Her emotions hit him softly and all at once. Nervousness at the typical first day and contentment that she had finally found a group of people. Jasper looked over the students and zeroed in on her immediately as she was being escorted to the same table that held Mike Newton. Perhaps he could arrange a friendship there with Alice's help, a kindred soul would do Mike a great deal of good.
Listening in on the conversation he could not help but hear that Bella had asked about the group of students. Jessica Stanley had taken it upon herself to educate her on everything Cullen, that the school knew anyway as well as the most recent gossip surrounding them. His amusement must have been projecting because everyone else at his table was now looking at him with curious looks in their eyes. In answer he gave a brief nod toward the group of people he had been listening in on.
They all focused in as well and caught the tail end of the conversation. Stanley explaining that Rose and Emmett were together even though they were adopted siblings. The way she said it made it sound as though it was the biggest scandal that she had ever come across. To the small town of forks he supposed that it might just be the biggest scandal they had ever had.
Emmett was drawing attention as he was outright guffawing at what he had heard. It was loud and booming and filled with absolute mirth that was completely contagious. He had always enjoyed spending time with Emmett as his emotions were always so simple and straightforward. Most people had mixed emotions that were constantly changing but not him, when he felt something it was not layered with other things. He just felt what he felt and that was a great relief to someone who could sense the emotions of others.
Without realizing it Jasper had spent the rest of the lunch hour trapped in his own thoughts. The world had disappeared as he went deep into his own mind. His deep musings were interrupted by Alice as she placed her hand on his shoulder, a silent bidding to get up and follow her wherever she was planning on going. In this case he knew that it was to their shared class that began directly after the lunch hour.
With a heaved and unnecessary sigh he stood up at her bidding. It was something he was not looking forward too but was completely willing to do. It was required to fit in as they did that they maintain the appearance of teenagers. Even though he could more than likely educate the teachers on whatever subject they were currently being taught. Grabbing his messenger bag off the floor from beside his chair with practiced ease he focused on maneuvering the room at a human pace.
Rosalie was watching the road intensely as they were speeding along it. Her focus was completely on her driving as the red Maserati convertible navigated the twists and turns of the road leading to the main highway at break neck speeds. The speedometer pushing 80 miles per hour on a road where the speed limit was marked as 35.
She knew that the woman in the seat next to her would not question it. Hardly ever did she just storm out of the house while demanding that someone who was not her husband go on a drive with her. But she also knew that if she did not get Alice out of that house that she and Edward would have been all over Jasper for what they had undoubtedly knew happened this afternoon. She had heard whispered words of it after all. Though she had a definite feeling that Alice's emotions would be on the positive side.
They had been driving for close to an hour now but she had no intention of stopping. No set destination in mind as she knew that it would only give Alice a way to plan around the questions Rosalie would throw at her. She had seen the encounter this afternoon, Rosalie knew it, she just had to find a way to ask her about it without her avoiding the question.
"You saw it was going to happen." It was not a question, it was a blunt statement of fact. Which she happened to be particularly good at.
"Yes." She had expected that answer, now all she could do was hope for specifics of some kind. It was not like she Alice was exactly forthcoming with those kinds of things in the first place. Some bullshit about people not needing to know too much about their future decisions.
"Why'd you let it happen?" And that was the million dollar question.
Alice did not answer right away. Instead she chose to watch the forestry as they drove down the scenic highway towards Seattle. The world would have been blurry had she still been human as they past by everything. Rose still pushing the accelerator and getting ever faster as they approached dark. The sun had already sunk behind the trees before she dared speak again. Knowing the possibility of the wraith of her overprotective sister.
It was no secret that Rose and Jasper pretended to be twins because they were as thick as a pair of thief's. The amount of trust and understanding that flowed between the two of them was something she envied and admired in turn. For she had always known that they would be nearly inseparable once they met and bonded. They had both had traumatic lives and demons that followed them and that allowed for their relationship.
"It needed to happen." She paused, unsure of her phrasing. "He is good for her. She is going to be good for him. I can't tell you much because I don't know much. But I do know that he'll need you to be there for him Rose. In a way that I never could be."
Rose looked torn. Stuck between wanting to support her brother and wanting to protect him from everything. It was a struggle that she often had whenever his past managed to catch up to him and get him stuck in his own mind. Even though he needed to talk about it he wanted to hide it away. She knew some, but not everything that he had gone through. And she knew there was so much more damage than he had ever let her see. She was terrified that this would be what would break him.
If he got too close to that human it could tear him apart. If he slipped it would absolutely break him if he was attached to her. Not to mention the danger to the girl herself if Jasper continued to get to know her. Everything was changing and she knew she would have to make a choice soon. Protect or support and that would determine how her continued relationship with Jasper would go. She had a bad feeling about all of this.
"We'll see." Alice knew that was the best she was going to get. Because at the moment the conflict on Rose's face said everything that she could not. That for now that was the best that she was able to give.
They continued down the highway well into the night. Neither speaking another word towards the conversation that they had just had. Everything spoken and everything left unspoken still hanging heavily between them in the air. The moon was glowing as the clouds parted to reveal their starlight and allow the sky to shine down on those below it.
The muted sunlight that was reflected off the moon gave their skin a ghastly quality. Its reflection not near as distracting as direct sunlight but causing a reaction nonetheless. As they went down the highway chasing speeds faster than the average human they looked like they were glowing to the normal eye. Silver skinned and golden eyed goddesses that went flying past down the road to wherever.
Despite the tension Alice could not keep the smile off of her face. Living like this, on the edge of forever and watching the world go by truly was a miracle sometimes. It was everything that she wanted, as well as everything she had never asked for. Her human life was a black void but the eternity that displayed itself before her in moments like these made her feel almost normal. She could almost swear that she could hear the hollow sounding echo of a heartbeat even though she knew it had been over 80 years since hers had last made a sound.
They had finally made it home sometime after four in the morning. They had been driving for close to twelve hours and Jasper had kept watch out the window waiting for them to pull back in the driveway. The emotions he felt coming off of them almost made him wish he had allowed them their privacy without waiting for them aimlessly as he had.
Rosalie was strong willed as usual but filled with conflict deep inside her. Obviously something had happened on the ride to cause her such an internal war. Almost as if two halves of herself were fighting to have her pick one of them to follow in the end. Her knew personally what that was like and what they could do to you if you did not work through them properly. It was not hard to tear yourself apart when something was buried so deep within your being.
Alice however was clam, with a strange mix of acceptance, worry and resignation. But her display of support towards Rose was obvious when she reached over and placed her hand on top of the blonds. Everything about their body language screamed that something very intense had happened between the two. More than likely it had something to do with a vision that Alice had and he knew better than to ask after those kinds of things. The girl was a master at being cryptic and would tell you in due time if what she saw would effect you.
He heard the footsteps coming up the stairs and knew immediately that Carlisle was walking up them. Turning his attention away from the window he looked over towards the door of his study. Awaiting the arrival of the man who had been willing to take him in.
It was so secret that the others saw Carlisle as a father figure in their lives. Though that was honorable of the man he could not share the common sentiment. He had seen far too much in his years to be seen as any kind of son as he could not maintain that mindset. It seemed the feeling was mutual as he and the other man had always maintained a relationship and comradeship similar to that of friends from war. They both respected each other and saw the other as a equal.
The knock was no surprise, though to his hearing it sounded louder than it actually was. He muttered a low come in that he knew the older man heard clearly. The sound of a knob turning and a door opening confirmed this as he turned to look Carlisle in the eyes.
A look of understanding passed between them as Carlisle held up a folder. It was not an uncommon thing for the man to be researching something and to ask for Jaspers opinion on it. He had time and experience as well as the bonus of being s fresh set of eyes to whatever he had chosen to take on this time.
"I was hoping you could look at this and tell me if the information was correct. Aro asked this of me as a favor. To assure that accurate information on the Southern Vampire Territory Wars was acquired by their investigations. They would like to file it in their archives." That was no surprise, many people often asked Carlisle or Jasper about these kinds of things. Not many vampires who were around for those wars had made it out of them alive.
"Of course. When do they want it by?" It was likely that he would be sent with the information to meet the Volturi member that was sent to verify it. It would be merely a professional meeting but one that he would like to be aware of well in advance of the situation. But he had a bad feeling about this.
"They would like it prepared at your earliest convenience. They provided a burner cell phone number to set up the retrieval meeting." That was no surprise, but the lack of set date was. It would be this weekend before he really had the chance to sit down and look at it so he hoped the person would not mind waiting all that much. Not that it would matter if they did if Aro gave them orders to stay until they had the information.
"Very well. I will call them as soon as I have had a chance to go over it." The look on Carlisle's face told him he felt that something was amiss here. It was something he could not help but mirror with him own thoughts.
"Be careful Jasper, chances are that they will want more information when you meet. It is not in Aro's nature to pass up an opportunity to acquire a vampire as experienced as yourself." That was what he feared then. It was nothing new to worry about at least. Many people sought him out over the years to attempt to have a fighter with such a reputation on their side in wars or disputes.
"I am well aware Carlisle. Unless something changes my answer shall remain the same as the last time they offered me a position." At that Carlisle nodded and handed over the yellow envelope before taking his leave.
Jasper stood up and made his way over to the wooden desk that was placed in the left hand corner of the room. The oak felt smooth beneath his fingers as he dragged them along the edges as he made his way around it. Mind distracted he opened up the top drawer on the right hand side and placed the information within it. He would go over it this weekend as he said he would.
Though they would more than likely need an excuse for at least two days of school next week. He was never in a good headspace after trips down memory lane and he could not risk slipping up. Especially not with a meeting with messengers of the Volturi imminent. He could not help but wonder who they had sent this time.
The last time they had extended an invitation to him was in the late 80's. They had sent Demetri and another member of the guard who was obviously not experienced. He could tell by the fear rolling off of the young woman whose name he had never learned that she had heard tales of him. And the caution that came off of Demetri told him that the male was wary about his ability, and rightly so. It was no secret who would come out the winner even if Demetri could hold his own very well.
You did not get a reputation like his without being able to back it with actions. Back it with actions he had done. When the wars had first been over three members of the Elite Guard had mistaken him for someone else and attacked him with the intent to kill. He had quickly dispatched them and sent them cowering back to their master with the knowledge that he was not who they were seeking out. He could still remember the hatred on the young blond woman's face as he sent them on their merry way with the information.
Remembering that moment had him nearly laughing. It was one of his finer moments, he was sure. Not many could say they had sent the Volturi packing and had lived much longer afterwords. He supposed that must say something about how badly Aro and his brothers wanted to have his skill set at their bidding.
A/N ; okay, I need you guys to let me know what ya'll think. What do you wanna see, what do you not want to see? What do you think about it so far? I won't hold reviews over peoples heads but they do motivate me to write faster. Just saying. So feedback please because RL has been kicking my ass and it took forever to get all 7,031 words of this written.
If you see any mistakes point em out. Cause I am still beta searching.
Love you all, bye babes.