Author's Note: AAAH! Guys, I'm soo sorry! Please forgive me! I know I promised you three days, but there was an 'accident' involving my (now ex) boyfriend and my BRAND NEW laptop, so I was without a computer for a few days. Here it is, hope it doesn't suck. The reviews are keepin me goin', so share the love!!

Kelly

Chapter 5

Jasper's Point of View

"Mrs. Renske gave me a heads-up; there's going to be a report and speech assigned today, and we need to work with partners. The topic's a 'surprise'. What do you say?" I said in my most calming voice, so as not to intimidate her. It probably wasn't a smart idea to tempt fate by being in such close proximity to a human, but this girl had such troublesome emotions, and I could plainly see the bruises under her makeup. For some reason, I felt protective. I wanted to destroy whatever was hurting her. And any hour we were together studying was an hour where I could ensure her safety.

Ensure her safety. What a joke. The most likely scenario was that I would kill her myself. I winced at the thought. Aside from my 'vegetarian' diet, I didn't want this girl, this Bella Swan, to die. It was curious, because I'd never thought of a human as anything other than a meal or a test of my willpower. Being around her actually benefited me.

As a vampire, I retained the charisma I was known for in my human life. It translated to empathy, the 'gift' of being able to feel and manipulate others' emotions. For over a century, I've been subject to the aggravation and pain of experiencing all the emotions around me. Everybody who was depressed, every person grieving, every girl with PMS. I felt it all, 24/7. I was never at peace.

This girl-- Bella-- being around her calmed the turmoil inside me. I was able to block out others' emotions at will, and finally feel what I actually felt. I didn't want to lose that so soon.

"Sure," she replied calmly. I could have seen past the front even without my gift. On the inside, she was nervous, (she should be. I was about six inches from killing her.) depressed, (I was going to find out why) and… embarrassed? Resigned? Intrigued? A thousand inexplicable, fleeting feelings crossed her face, vanishing as quickly as they had appeared, and leaving no explanation as to their cause.

"Great. So, we should probably meet after school, right? To study?" It would be mutually beneficial, I told myself. I could watch her, keep her safe, and also enjoy the benefit of being free from feelings other than my own. She agreed to meet me after school, and I would drive us to the library. We spent the rest of lunch chatting lightly, and I wasn't surprised to learn that we had similar tastes in music. We also had similar opinions about the students at this school.

"I thought small towns were supposed to be… cordial. Welcoming. These people look at me like I'm some kind of freak; they're either flat-out rude, or overly-curious. It's like… living in a spot light." She mused.

I marveled at how mature she was for her age; she hid her nervousness and slight discomfort, and was able to hold an intelligent conversation without that insufferable giggling that most teenage girls seem to enjoy so much.

Plus, I happened to agree with what she was saying. "Mhm. I get those looks, too. It sucks. And it's not gonna change, sorry." It started out sympathetic, but by the end, I couldn't help but laugh a little, which made Bella smile. I was glad-- that was one of the first real smiles I'd ever seen out of her.

"would you like to play questions?" she offered. I tensed a little, cautious. I couldn't answer very many questions honestly. I could always lie if a… difficult question came up, but for some reason, I didn't want to. I wanted to be honest with Bella, as much as possible.

"What are the rules?" I asked suspiciously. She laughed.

"It's nothing too complicated. We take turns asking each other questions. They start out basic-- favorite color, favorite band-- and get more personal until one person gets asked a question they won't answer. The first person to pass loses. Do you think you can handle it?" she challenged.

I quickly weighed my options. I was undeniably curious about this human child. I wanted to know how she got her bruises. I could afford to pay for that knowledge by telling her my favorite color. And I could end the game whenever I wanted to-- it's not like she could force me to tell her anything.

"Sure. Why not? Ladies first?" I smirked.

"Hmm…" she pondered for a minute, smiling evilly to herself. I have to admit-- I was a little nervous. "What's the stupidest thing you've ever done to impress a girl?" I laughed, then stopped to consider. I can't remember the last girl I tried to impress.

"Uh… nothing. I've never really had to try to impress anybody."

"Figures," she mumbled to herself.

I knew what she meant-- I was well-aware that I was good-looking. All vampires were. It was just one of our many excess abilities to attract prey. Overkill, if you ask me.

"What is the most annoying thing somebody could do to you?" was my first question for Bella. I was going to ease into this.

She answered immediately. "Gaah. Definitely patronize me or try to tell me what to do. I hate when people don't let me think for myself." After a second of thought, she added, "I don't like being tickled too much, either. If you could live with any family from a television series, who would it be?"

"The Addams," I shot off without thinking. It was such an odd question, but it was like the answer was always ready in my mind. "What's your least favorite word?"

She was grinning, and I'm pretty sure I was, too. This was a good game, so far. I'd never thought about most of these questions so far. "Nuclear. For two reasons-- it never refers to anything positive, AND everybody pronounces it wrong. It's nu-CLEAR, not Nu-cu-lur. What's the habit you're proudest of breaking?"

Drinking human blood. I scanned my brain for a normal, human habit. "Biting my nails." There. It was simple, and normal. "Describe something that's happened to you for which you have no explanation." I saw Bella flinch a little, her smile faltering. I wished I had asked a different question. Then she recovered, "One spring, when I was in, probably, fourth grade, I opened up a pocket of my backpack that I never used, and there was grass growing. Inside my backpack. I have no idea where it came from, or how it survived." I laughed at the mental image of a little Bella mowing her backpack. "If you could have a super power, what would it be?" was her question for me.

I tried to think of one I didn't already have. "telekinesis. You?"

"Invisibility," she said sadly. I wished I could hear the thoughts behind her answers. "Have you ever taken a picture in one of those little booths?" I laughed at the randomness.

"No, I have not."

"Me either. We'll have to do that sometime, huh?" she said before hopping up. I was startled by the sudden movement, but jumped up myself a second later, when I realized that we were the last ones left in the cafeteria. I slipped in one more question as we walked into English a minute late, "what three objects do you care about most?"

"iPod, eyeliner, Jane Austen collection," she hissed, blushing at the jealous and curious looks we were attracting. Slipping into my seat, I sent her a wave of calm and ease. She was very uncomfortable being the center of attention.

***

Bella's Point of View

When Mrs. Renske told the class to sit next to a partner, I breathed a sigh of relief that I already had Jasper. I saw Mitchell eyeing me hopefully-- it was no secret that he liked me-- and I didn't know how to let the kid down easy. Working with him on a big project would probably just get his hopes up. This way, I could bypass the whole situation.

The teacher discussed our topic-- how myths and legends affect our culture-- and assigned different subtopics to each group. One group got leprechauns, Mitchell and his partner got mermaids. Jasper and I got vampires. Sweet. But for some reason, Jasper looked unhappy. I glanced at him, but he didn't meet my eye. I hoped we were still going to the library-- it was a great reason to not be at home.

***

After school, I stood at the front entrance waiting for Jasper to show up. He hadn't said a word for the rest of class, and I hadn't seen him since then. I hoped it wasn't all a joke-- to trick the new girl, the freshman, into thinking she finally had a friend at her stupid school. Shifting my feet self-consciously, I had almost made up my mind to go home when I saw a kick-asscar-- the only nice car in Cordova, that wasn't eroded by the weather. It was probably the only car that I could identify offhand; a shiny, cherry-red Impala. Cars held little interest to me, and I knew next-to-nothing about them, but I immediately fell in love with that one.

It was no surprise that the car stopped right in front of me. Of course, Jasper Whitlock would have a car like that. He got out, and walked around the car, opening my door for me. Stepping in, my relief at not being ditched was fighting for dominance with my envy of his car. Jasper was back in the driver's seat before I had time to buckle my seat belt. He gave a determined smile and rolled down his window, even though it was freezing outside. He drove the car the five or six blocks to the library and parked, getting out and moving to open my door for me. "What year is your car?" I inquired.

"Is that really how you want to use one of your questions?" Jasper asked, laughing. "She's a '64 impala convertible."

"She?" I arched an eyebrow.

"Her name's Lydia," he said in mock-seriousness, as if I had offended the car. I grinned; this was a better afternoon than I ever expected. I went cold as I thought about what I had expected. Jasper frowned, noticing my change of attitude.

"Are you alright, Bella?" He asked me with worry. I never had anybody worry about me-- I didn't really have anybody in the first place. Ever since… Doug, Renee and I had been getting gradually more distant, except when she needed a shoulder to cry on. She certainly didn't worry about me; she had too much to think about, taking care of herself. I felt my eyes well up, and angrily wiped away a stray tear. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

The library was, naturally, very small. It was unlikely that there would be a book about vampires, aside from a rare Anne Rice novel. Jasper opted to bypass the shelves altogether, heading to a cluster or computers in the back of the building. I did a quick scan of the nonfiction section, just in case. Surprisingly, in the second-to-last shelf, hidden out of sight on the bottom row in between "Understanding the Water Cycle" and a battered copy of "He's Just Not That Into You", was an old leather-bound tome with the simple title, "Monsters and Myths". I sat down and paged through the book.

The index was separated, first by 'good' or 'evil', then by species and subspecies, alphabetically. While most entries for 'Vampire' were under 'evil', I was more interested in the one vampire characterized as being 'good'. Flipping to page 672, I read, "Stregoni Benefici: An Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness, and a mortal enemy of all evil vampires. This rare species is characterized by inhuman speed and strength, extreme beauty, cold, pale skin, and the ability to maintain some control over his thirst."

'I bet Jasper looks a lot like a Stregoni Benefici.' I blushed, embarrassed that Jasper had been in the forefront of my mind, not just now but all day. I looked up; I hadn't heard his footsteps, but Jasper was suddenly standing directly in front of me, staring grimly at the book in my hands. ' Is he usually this… terse?' I wondered.

"Look!" I said brightly, showing him the book. "We need to put this in the report! I love the idea of 'good' vampires."

"There's no such thing as a good vampire, Bella," he said seriously. I shook my head at this, gesturing to the book. He led me to his computer, recovering his light mood, and showed me a few articles he'd found, about an old legend of a vampire that took the form of a hag by day, and turned into a crow by night, feeding on the blood of cattle. He also had information on the famous Incubus and Succubus. They were a male or female, respectively, that would lay with sleeping people in order to have sex with them.

"We should incorporate the original stories, too," he explained.

"As long as we also include the modern views about vampires."

"What are your views about the 'modern vampire'?" Jasper questioned, arching an eyebrow. I remembered thinking about how Jasper might resemble a Stregoni Benefici, and blushed. "My opinion isn't important," I mumbled. "This is about fact."

Jasper looked intrigued. "Well, then it's your next Question," he insisted.

"Hmm…" I internally debated how much I should tell him. "Well, I guess to me, vampires are dark and mysterious and sexy."

"Sexy? They drink your blood and kill you," he looked incredulous, irritated, and a little disgusted.

"Exactly," I said quietly. "I don't know how to explain what I mean. I hate the smell of blood, and… abhor violence. But the vampire from that book, the Stregoni Benefici… Underneath the mystery, he's the good guy, torturing himself to battle his instincts. The tragic hero. The underdog in a never-ending battle of good and evil, both internal and external. And I'm a sucker for an underdog."

***

We were at the library well past 6:00. Jasper kept searching for the most outrageous or unrealistic stories he could find. He read lines about vampires that fed off of sexual energy and exhausted their victims to death. When he laughed at the more ridiculous myths, it seemed like there was more to the joke. Something deeper that I was missing.

In the winter, night falls much earlier, and by the time Jasper pulled up in front of Doug's house, the sky was black as pitch. He came around to open my door, then took my arm, leading me carefully to the front door so as I didn't slip on a stray patch of ice. I smiled gratefully and wished him a good night, thanking him for the ride.

Doug was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. "Where the hell have you been, you goddamn whore?!" he shouted drunkenly. I instinctively cringed back from the sharp tone and strong smell of whiskey, but that just made him angrier. He grabbed my shoulder, pinching much too tight, and yanked me toward him, then pushed me roughly to my knees. He unzipped his pants and grabbed my hair, forcing me towards him. Forcing me to take him in my mouth. When I silently refused, he yanked my head back and slapped me roughly across the face. My cheek was smarting, and my eyes stung with tears I refused to shed; I admitted that it would be easier to just give up.

I opened to him, and he thrust himself all the way into my mouth, hitting the back of my throat and making me gag. Doug groaned in some sick pleasure and tugged on my hair, forcible guiding my head to meet his thrusts. He came loudly, yanking my hair extra-hard, shooting cum down my throat. It was bitter and salty and made me cough. Doug pushed me back from him and strode past me, right out the door.

I didn't cry as I made my way to the kitchen, taking a swig of the bottle on the counter. There were no tears as I swished the whiskey around in my mouth, attempting to kill germs, or as I spat it into the sink. I was emotionless as I brushed my teeth, completely stoic in the shower. But as I slipped under my covers and snuggled deep into my bed, I let the hot, salty tears fall down my cheek and soak my pillow.