Okay, party people. You guys ROCK! I got a couple messages about the preview and such, and I just like to say thanks : ) makes me happy!
So this chapter took me way longer than I would have liked. But I've been busy . . . and distracted by other things. There were days where I would write one sentence of the story and then put it away. NO Joke.
Okay. Chapter Seven. Let's go.
~.~.~.~.~
"This is . . . not good," Edward said, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. No one felt the need to point out Edward's obviousness. Everyone was silent for a moment, as they watched each other, trying to figure out exactly what this meant."How could this have even happened?"
Alice shook her head and plopped down on the couch, sighing. Carlisle was sitting in an armchair, looking thoughtful, as Esme sat on the arm of the chair, resting her hand on her husband's shoulder, worriedly.
"I think we all just need to relax," she said quietly. "Alice, have you seen anyone finding out about us?"
"No," Alice replied immediately, though she looked unsure. "Not yet."
Esme sighed and nodded. Carlisle leaned forward. "Jasper, you said another vampire was attacking Anouk?" Jasper nodded.
"She was aggressive," he elaborated. "She fought with me."
"You idiot!" Rosalie exclaimed suddenly, stepping away from the window she was looking out of.
"Excuse me?" Jasper said, offended.
"How could you do this to us?" she said coldly. "You know, we wouldn't even have this problem if you didn't develop your cute little crush on that girl. I knew everything was going to go to shit the second he started day dreaming about that little . . . little human," Rosalie spat, crossing her arms, addressing the family. Carlisle gave her a warning look for her language. "And now look what's happened. The secret's out and we're going to have to pack up all our things and move across the world. Again."
Rosalie and Jasper glared at each other for a moment. They weren't the best of friends; Jasper found Rosalie's pigheadedness to be rather annoying at times, but they usually got on well enough, almost as if they really were the twins they pretended to be, even. But now Jasper could feel Rosalie's distaste and disapproval of his behavior.
"We have to leave?" Emmett questioned, sadly. "We've barely been here for any time at all!"
"Blame it on him," Rosalie said, motioning towards Jasper. "It is his fault that she knows."
Jasper couldn't take it anymore. Rosalie had gotten on his final nerve with her pointing fingers at him. "And what was I supposed to do, Rose?" he shouted, taking a step forward. "Let her die?!"
"Yes! Yes, you should have let her die, you fool!" she shouted back. "If you weren't so fucking obsessed with her, you wouldn't have cared!"
Jasper scoffed. "And see an innocent person be killed right in front of me, when I could stop it? Don't be ridiculous."
"Wouldn't be too different from your days in the South, now would it?" Rosalie said, cocking an eyebrow. "Didn't seem to bother you too much then."
Jasper clenched his jaw as he glared at Rose. "Rosalie," Carlisle warned.
"What?" she said defensively. "We wouldn't be in this mess if he just let that vampire have her meal!"
"Over my dead body," Jasper growled.
"It will be over your dead body," Rosalie said, "when they burn us at the stake."
Alice scoffed. "Oh, please, Rosalie," she said, shaking her head. "They're not medieval. This is the twenty-first century, for God's sake."
"Which means they may think of an even worse way to torture and dispose of us," Rosalie said, darkly. She let out an exasperated breath. "I can't believe you would implicate our family like this."
"Rosalie's right," Edward said, standing. "Very, very irresponsible, Jasper. Selfish, too."
Alice jumped to Jasper's side and shouted, "He was trying to help her!" at the same time Jasper said, "You wouldn't do the same?!"
Everyone was standing now, Alice by Jasper's side, Edward by Rosalie's as Emmett tried to calm her. They were all shouting at each other.
Rosalie kept shouting that this was Jasper's fault and that he ruined everything.
Edward kept saying how selfish it was that Jasper would protect some human, who would eventually die anyway, instead of protecting his family.
Jasper said something along the lines of how he wasn't a sadist and didn't like watching people die, which of course only made Rosalie and Edward bring up his past.
Alice shouted how he was doing the right thing by saving someone's life, and that Anouk would probably let it go anyway. After all, she hadn't had any visions.
And, poor Emmett, he was shouting at everyone to stop shouting.
"Enough!" Esme said above them all, and with such authority that everyone stopped yelling the second she had spoken. "I will not have my children behaving with such manners! I've taught you all better than that, I should hope." Everyone instantly felt guilty for making Esme upset. Esme, who had cared for them like they were really her children, her love for them never-ending. That was the last thing they all wanted. She nodded her head, when she was sure they had stopped fighting. "Carlisle?" she asked, wanting to know his stance on the subject.
He sat with hands folded in his lap, still looking thoughtful. He sat in silence for a moment longer, all eyes on him, waiting for the decision of what to do. He took a breath and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, one hand still thoughtfully over his mouth.
"Jasper, how strong was this vampire?" Carlisle questioned. Everyone looked at Carlisle, confused. What did that have anything to do with the situation?
"Very strong," Jasper said, seriously. "I had to bite her to make her back off. Even then, she didn't seem too bothered by it. Why?"
Carlisle stood slowly. "I think she might be more dangerous to us than Anouk." He looked around at everyone. "If she decides to stay in Forks any longer, she may give us away, and cause more deaths than necessary. We need to make sure she leaves."
"And Anouk?" Esme questioned.
Carlisle was silent again for a moment. "Alice, you haven't had a vision?"
"No," she stressed, impatiently, annoyed that she still had to tell them this.
"For the time being," he said slowly, "we won't do anything."
Everyone but Esme erupted in arguments, questioning whether he was serious. He held up a hand, and they stopped.
"We won't do anything," he repeated, "until Anouk knows for sure that we are vampires." He paused. "And then, if she does figure it out, we'll leave. Everyone is to go to school, and act as if nothing has changed, is that clear?" Everyone nodded. "Alright. And I never want to see that behavior again. From any of you."
Everyone looked down, ashamed, and nodded. They began to leave the living room, Alice smiling, and Rosalie glaring at him as Emmett led her out of the room. Edward left rolling his eyes, annoyed. Carlisle squeezed Jasper's shoulder as he passed, probably on his way to his study.
Jasper sighed, and looked to the ground, shaking his head. What an ordeal. Had he really done something so wrong? He just wanted to help her . . . but he began thinking about what the others had said. If it had been someone he didn't know, someone besides Anouk, would he have done the same thing?
"Jasper." Jasper looked up as he felt Esme hand resting gently on his shoulder. "I don't want you to listen to what the others said. You did the right thing," she said soothingly.
It sure doesn't feel that way, he thought, though he just smiled tightly and nodded. He didn't want to worry Esme – he was comfortable around her. He thought it probably had something to do with how he always felt the love towards him from her. From the second he and Alice and he had arrived she had seen him as a son, not caring about his past, and what he had done. Even when he had slipped up and attacked a human, she never thought of him differently, always proud, always loving. She worried about him; he felt that, too. She worried that he wasn't happy, worried that his struggle was making him feel helpless and disappointed in himself. He didn't want her to feel that way, even if it sometimes was true.
She patted his shoulder and walked out of the living room and up the stairs, probably to find Carlisle.
The next day, everyone was tense on the way to school. The only person who really spoke was Alice, who was convinced everything was going to be fine.
Alice walked Jasper to his calculus class and smiled at him reassuringly. "Just act natural," she said too quiet for a human to hear. She smiled at him one more time before dancing past him down the hallway, taking the long way to her class. Jasper let out a breath and walked into his class. As he walked to his seat, he noticed Anouk slowly raise her eyes to him and she watched him take his seat with inquisitive eyes.
He looked at her and nodded a little. She raised an eyebrow and returned the gesture.
Mr. Dosee soon started the lecture, and Jasper looked straight ahead. Anouk glanced at the front of the room, but then turned her attention back to Jasper. He felt her confusion, and curiosity. She was determined. Determined to figure out what he was. Which made him nervous.
Halfway through the class, Mr. Dosee had finished the lecture and was letting everyone start on the homework. Jasper tried to ignore Anouk's gaze, but he could see her out of his peripherals.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she pressed quietly.
Jasper sighed. "Nothing is going on," he said not looking up from his paper, but not writing.
"You're lying." Jasper shook his head and sighed, going back to his work. "I'm going to figure it out, you know. You might as well tell me now."
"I've told you," he said looking at her in the eyes. "There is nothing going on."
Anouk shrugged and turned to her own work. She hadn't started yet. Though she didn't ask for the rest of class, Jasper could practically hear the gears working in her head. Why couldn't she just let it go?!
Thankfully the bell rang and Jasper could escape Anouk for just a few hours. But lunch would be the same. She would stare at them from across the room, wondering what they were hiding. Jasper knew she wasn't an idiot—she was capable of figuring out. There was no doubt about that. Just matter of time . . .
Jasper reached for the door to the cafeteria, and his hand brushed against someone else's who was also going to open the door. The person quickly pulled their hand away and gasped.
Of course it was her.
Why is it always her?!? Jasper though angrily.
They looked at each other for a moment before Anouk said quietly, "Your hands are cold."
"Sorry."
Jasper went to open the door again, but she stepped in front of it, blocking anyone from going in or out. Jasper pulled away and looked at her with a questioning expression.
"Excuse me," Jasper said politely, but she didn't move.
"Are you an alien?" she questioned lowly. Jasper smirked slightly and shook his head. Was that the best she could come up with? "What?" she said defensively. "You're not giving me and clues. I'm doing the best I can."
"I'm not an alien."
"Are you like a science experience gone wrong, or like a super hero or something? Can you fly?!" she asked excitedly.
Jasper rolled his eyes. "Of course not."
She sighed with aggravation. "Please just tell me," she pleaded.
"There's nothing to tell."
Anouk huffed and whipped around, opening the door and walking into the cafeteria. She plopped down at the table where all her friends sat, pouting. Jasper straightened up, and walked over to his family and took his seat next to Alice. Each one of them looked at him tensely as he sat, obviously still worried about Anouk.
"Relax," he said, while sending them soothing feelings. "We're fine."
"She's staring at us," Rosalie said sharply. Jasper glanced across the cafeteria to see Anouk looking at them intensely. Jasper sighed.
"She's trying very hard to figure us out," Edward sighed, not taking his eyes away from Jasper. "She's going to start piecing the puzzle together. She's not an idiot."
"Relax," Alice said.
No one spoke for the rest of lunch, and they were careful to act even more normal than usual, knowing that Anouk was watching their every move.
-.-.-.-
Anouk threw her things in the corner of her room, as she sat down at her window seat, thinking.
What could he be? How did he move that fast, and pick up something so heavy? Maybe he was right; maybe I was disoriented . . .
She breathed deeply as she let that thought sink in. She dismissed it though; she KNEW what she saw! She shot up from the seat and sat down at her desk, turning on the monitor of her computer.
She pulled up an Internet search engine and typed in 'Jasper Hale'.
Nothing came up, except for Jasper Hale of Missouri, a scientist who had successfully created his own energy efficient car.
She stood up and paced at the end of her bed. He was strong. Impossibly strong. How could someone be that strong? Adrenaline?
Anouk rushed back to her computer, and without bothering to sit down searched "adrenaline rush." She clicked on a link, which led her to a website providing a short definition of the word. Underneath it said"
The term "fight or flight" is often used to characterize the circumstances under which adrenaline is released into the body. It is an early evolutionary adaptation to allow better coping with dangerous and unexpected situations. With dilated blood vessels and air passages, the body is able to pass more blood to the muscles and get into the lungs in a timely manner, increasing physical performance for short bursts of time.
"Well, he definitely chose to fight . . ." Anouk mumbled as she read. And evolutionary adaptation? Maybe he was a mutant, then, some sort of super-human with adaptations more advanced than the rest of the human population. An adaptation that made his adrenaline pump more . . allowing more strength? "That doesn't sound right . . ."
Two hours later, Anouk was still pacing in her room, occasionally looking up different things. She'd researched aliens on multiple sites, as well as 'super-human strength.' Each time, her search got a little more ridiculous. She'd gone from looking up 'Jasper Cullen' to researching angels and demons.
There was a soft knock at the door, and her mother cracked it open a little. "Anouk? Is everything alright?" Anouk just looked at her mother. Anouk's hair was a mess from running her hands through it, trying to think. "You seem a little . . . off . . ."
"Just doing a project," Anouk mumbled.
"You've been pacing back and forth for hours. I can hear it downstairs," he mother pointed out.
"It's a project that requires a lot of thinking."
He mother didn't look quite convinced, but she dropped it. "I was going to watch Interview with the Vampire –"
"Again?" Anouk said incredulously, though she was still distracted.
"I watched Meet Joe Black last week." Her mother said, smiling. Anouk rolled her eyes at her mom; Brad Pitt wasn't that good looking . . . Actually, he is . . . Anouk thought. "Want to watch it with me?"
Anouk looked to her computer screen, knowing she wanted to continue researching. But maybe she needed to take a break and get her mind off things. "Alright."
Anouk followed her mom down the stairs and to the living room, where the movie was paused on the opening credits, a bowl of popcorn on the round, glass coffee table.
They sat on the couch next to each other and her mom pressed play, and for a moment, Anouk thought she would be able to watch this without being distracted by thoughts of him.
That is until the first scene started. Louie (played by Brad Pitt, of course) had turned on the lights without moving. Well, he had moved, but too fast for the human interviewer to see.
"He's fast," Anouk said, not taking her eyes from the TV, but not really watching. Jasper's fast . . .
"Yes. He. Is," her mother responded as if that were a redeeming quality about him.
"Have you ever met anyone that fast?"
Her mom looked over at her with a raised eyebrow and Anouk glanced at her.
"Joking," she assured. Even though she definitely wasn't joking.
The movie continued and Anouk was still racking her brain trying to put the pieces together. Then it got to the part where Louie lifts Lestat into the air, and rams him against a tree like he is a feather, and Anouk couldn't take it.
She stood up. "I'm going to bed."
"Anouk, it's barely five o'clock. You still have to go to dance," her mother said.
"I'm taking a nap, then," she said as she ran up the stairs. She flung herself on her bed and groaned. "I'm never going to figure it out. He could be a vampire like Brad Pitt for all I know!"
Anouk mulled the thought over in her mind as she chewed her lip. A vampire?
"Nah," she said to herself, dismissing it. "That's just crazy. Vampires don't exist."
Neither do angels and demons, right? You looked those up, didn't you? A voice in the back of her head said. And what about superheroes? Do they exist?
Anouk groaned again, but stood and walked over to her computer. She may as well look it up, right?
So she typed in 'vampire' into the search engine. She clicked on a site created by the Folklore department of The University of Aberdeen.
Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living. Many cultures today still believe in the existence of such creatures, even with the modernization of them through television, movies and literature.
The different cultures have different beliefs about vampires. Some believe they can shape-shift, some believe that they cannot enter a home without being invited. But through research done by the ethnology and folklore department of the University of Aberdeen, several common characteristics have appeared.
Vampires often have a pale complexion (sometimes associated with their dislike or intolerance of sunlight)
Vampires do not age or die
They feed from the blood of others or from animals
They are cool to the touch from a perspective of a human
Vampires in some tales have very specific dietary requirements. Most tales of the undead feature vampires that cannot eat (or at least cannot gain nourishment from) normal human food.
Some believe that they have changing eye colors, depending on mood or for no apparent reason.
In order to trap their prey, vampires are generally very beautiful, at least to the one they are about to feed from. Some say they can change their appearance to meet the victim's preference.
Vampires are predators – they have heightened senses and have un-accounted-for strength, with quick reflexes and can run too quick for the human eye (however, some believe that the 'speed' is simply a mind trick – see Physic Abilities)
Anouk didn't read any more. She turned off the monitor and shook her head.
Pale skin. Cold. Fast. Strong. Changing eye color? All things that Anouk had noticed about Jasper. And the other things seemed to fit, too. She'd never seen him eat anything, and he was very attractive.
She shook her head again. It was absurd to even be thinking about it. Vampires. Did. Not. Exist. Period. Sure, Jasper had those characteristics, but that didn't mean he drank blood, and slept in a coffin or anything. It was just a coincidence.
It had to be.
Because if it wasn't . . . then who's to say witches and fairies and werewolves and magic and dragons didn't exist. Who's to say the BOOGEYMAN didn't exist. Everything Anouk had known would be wrong.
Plus, it just wasn't logical.
Was it?
"Oh my god," Anouk whispered. She ran to her closet and pulled out her coat, hastily putting on before rushing out her door. She put on her shoes at the back door and called, "I'll be right back!" to her mother, before rushing out into the trees.
She ran until she reached the place where she had been attacked. She saw the discarded tree and rushed over to it. It had been pulled out by it'd roots. Anouk breathed heavily and she wasn't sure if it was from running or from finding all this out.
What was going on? She needed to ask him. Now.
She remembered how the site had said something about heightened senses . . . maybe he would hear her.
"Jasper . . . Jasper, please come . . . Jasper . . ." she said as loud as she could, though it barely came out in a whisper. "Jasper . . . Jasper. . ."
-.-.-.-.-
"Jasper!"
Jasper set down his book and rushed to Alice's room. "Alice? Is everything okay?" he said as he pushed the door open and walked into the empty room. No one was there. He looked in Alice's en suite bathroom. No one. He went into her walk-in closet. She was there, standing in the middle of all her expensive clothes, looking at him with a thoughtful expression, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Alice?"
"Jasper did you ever bring back that baseball yesterday?" she asked him. "You know, the one that Emmett hit?"
Jasper's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Alice was excited about something. "No, I dropped it when I saw Anouk."
"Will you go into the backwoods and get it?"
Jasper continued to look at her with confusion. "Why? We have dozens more."
"Please, go get it, Jasper?" she pleaded. "I want it."
"It's pretty deep in the trees, Alice."
"Where you found Anouk, I know."
Jasper looked at Alice suspiciously. She smiled at him. "Please, Jazzy? For me?" she said making her eyes bigger and pouting her lips out. "I'll be your best friend forever and ever!"
Jasper sighed. "Fine," he said to her, and she grinned at him.
"Go quickly!" she said as he walked over to her window and jumped out.
Jasper raced off into the trees, trying to dismiss Alice's odd behavior. He ran to the small clearing and immediately saw the baseball. He walked over and picked it up. As he turned to leave, something caught his eye.
Anouk was sitting on ground with her back against the trunk of the tree he had thrown yesterday, her eyes closed. "Alice," Jasper said angrily. He walked over towards Anouk, snapping a twig as he entered the clearing.
Anouk's eyes snapped open at the sound. She saw Jasper and she quickly stood, her eyes wide. "You came?!" she asked, amazed, as if she had been expecting him.
"What are you doing here?" Jasper said through his teeth. "Didn't you learn your lesson last time? It's not safe!"
Anouk didn't respond. She just looked him over and gulped once and let out a breath. "I need to talk to you," she said seriously.
Jasper turned and began to walk away, not wanting listen to her questions without being able to answer them. "I have to go," he said, not turning to face her.
"I know what you are," she called after him. Jasper stopped in his tracks and clenched his jaw. He slowly turned around. Anouk looked a little unsure and uncomfortable. "I think . . ." she added.
Jasper gulped and walked over to her, careful to keep a good distance between them. She watched him cross her and stand about ten feet behind her. She furrowed her brow and dropped her gaze, shaking her head slightly. "I'm a logical person. At least, I thought I was. . ." she said. "So, I mean, I'm having kind of hard time even thinking about it . . . but it makes sense . . . everything . . . it fits, and the more I think about it, the more it seems possible . . ."
Jasper watched her from behind, waiting for her to reveal what he was. He and his family would have to leave. She'd tell everyone. They'd probably never be able come back.
And she'd be scared of him. She'd hate him.
"What am I?" he pressed, his voice tense.
Anouk turned around but still didn't look up from the ground. "You're fast. Too fast. And strong. Like Superman strong," she said, looking around at their surroundings. "You're freezing cold. And I saw you're eyes change! I saw them! Sometimes they're light, and like honey, but yesterday . . . yesterday they were black. Pitch black!" Jasper felt that she was getting a little panicked, as if she were convincing herself again. She looked up at him. "Do you eat at all?!"
Jasper sent her a wave of calm, but he doubted it worked because he himself was getting slightly anxious. "What am I?" he asked again, more sternly than before.
She looked at him silently and he heard her heart rate pick up. "A- a vampire . . ." she said quietly, her lips barely moving. After she said it, she looked away from him, into the trees.
Jasper took a few deep breaths, ignoring her scent. He stared at her as she stared into the trees, and neither of them said anything. "Now you see why I can't be with you," he said finally. She turned to look at him, her eyes wide.
"You're a vampire?!"
Jasper looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You just said it yourself!"
She let out an exasperated breath. "It's different when you say it!" she exclaimed. She looked around quickly, and then back at him. "So . . . you, um, you drink blood?"
Jasper looked into her eyes. "Yes."
"Human blood?" she said quietly.
Jasper opened his mouth but paused before responding. He had drunk human blood. He wanted human blood. He loved it. He craved it.
But she didn't need to know that. Not to that extent.
"No," he said after moment. "We live off the blood of animals."
She had a look of confusion for a second before saying with realization, " 'We' meaning you and all the Cullens?"
"Of course." She relaxed after he told her about the animal blood. If only she knew.
"So are all the myths true, then?" she asked, smiling slightly. Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Like, do you blow up when you go into the sunlight?"
Jasper smiled a little. "No," he chuckled. "We don't blow up. Actually, I like the sun a bit." She looked at him curiously.
"You and your family never go to school when it's sunny, though."
"You noticed that, did you?"
"The whole school's noticed that," she laughed. "They think you go on camping trips and such."
Jasper smiled and nodded. "Then our charade is working," he said. Then he nodded for her to follow him. "Come on, it's getting late, and it's not safe for you here."
She hurried after him and fell in step with him, too close for his comfort. He slyly took a step to the side, putting more distance between them as they walked.
"So why don't you go into the sun?" she asked.
Jasper let out a breath. "It would give us away," he said simply. "The sun exposes us for what we are."
"And can you stand the smell of garlic?" she said, smirking.
Jasper chuckled. "Of course we can."
"What about the good old stake through the heart? Does that kill you?" she said in a joking tone.
"You'd sure have a hard time getting it in there," he said, smiling, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Silver bullets have no effect either, I don't think."
"That's werewolves," she corrected. "Get your legends straight." Jasper chuckled once, though he was preoccupied with the fact that she wasn't running away from him with fear. She was completely comfortable with him. Well, almost. There was a little bit of fear, but it was so subtle that he figured it was just her instinct. "Do you sleep in a coffin?"
Jasper looked at the trees above him, thoughtful. "Hmm, I've never tried," he said. "Maybe then I'd be able to sleep."
"You don't sleep?"
"Not a wink."
"Wow," she said quietly, looking straight ahead. Suddenly her head snapped to him. "You're immortal, then?" He nodded. "How old are you? Well, I mean . . . how long have you been alive?"
"I've lived through just about everything we've learned in US History class," he said flatly. His past wasn't something he wanted to get into.
"Wow," she said again. He felt her curiosity intensify, and wondered how many more questions she had for him. "Hey, how do you become a vampire? Do you have to be bitten by a vampire and then drink his blood like in Interview with the Vampire?"
"No," he sighed. "Vampires don't have blood. You just have to be bitten."
"Oh. And why do you're eyes change from gold to black?"
"They are lighter after we feed," he explained. "They turn dark when we're . . ." he hesitated, glancing at her. " . . . hungry."
She gulped. "For blood."
"Yes, for blood."
They were silent for a moment, and Jasper felt her fear rise. He tried to ignore it. "Jasper?" she said quietly.
"Hmm?"
"Do all vampires have golden eyes?"
"No," he said, slightly wondering where that had come from. "Ours are golden because we feed on animal blood."
"Oh," she said, and her fear became more prominent. That confused Jasper. "And, what does it mean when they have . . . red eyes?"
Jasper looked at her intently as he answered. "It means they feed on human blood."
Anouk closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath. "So, that vampire, assuming it was a vampire, yesterday was going to . . . drink my blood?" Jasper didn't answer. He simply looked away not wanting to scare her even more. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For saving me."
He looked at her again and bowed his head slightly. The trees thinned and the lights of Anouk's house shone threw the trees. "Jasper?"
"Yes?"
"I'm not going to tell anyone," she said looking straight at him.
Jasper looked at her, his eyebrows pulled together. "You're not?"
She shook her head. "If I did, you'd all have to leave, wouldn't you?" He nodded. "I don't want you to leave," she said quietly. They broke through the trees and into her backyard. They stopped walking and he faced her.
"Anouk, I've told you – we can't be together, no matter how much I want to," he said sadly. "Even if we stayed."
She sighed and shook her head, confused. "But you said you don't drink human blood!"
"That doesn't mean I'm not dangerous," he said darkly. "Anouk, I haven't always lived like this. My eyes were red once, too. I'm the newest one of my family to adapt to this diet."
"But you have adapted!"
"I . . . have a hard time . . . keeping control of myself," he said, not looking at her. "It's harder for me than the others. Especially around you. Everyday at school, I smell all of their blood . . ." he trailed off, deciding that's as far as he would go with that.
But Anouk pressed on. "But you won't lose control," she said confidently.
Jasper let out a groan. "Don't see, Anouk?!" he said, somewhat angrily. Mostly at himself. "Half the time, I think about ways I could lure them to me! You don't understand! I want their blood! I want your blood!"
Anouk shook her head stubbornly. "But you won't hurt me," she assured.
"Everyday I am so close to snapping," he said, frantic to get to her to understand. To make her afraid. To keep her safe. "I could attack at any second!"
"But you won't."
"Why aren't you afraid?" he said angrily, as he began to pace.
"Because you haven't hurt me, and I know that you won't."
"How do you know this?" he growled.
"I trust you."
He stopped and turned to her, his eyes filled with pain and angst. He stared at her as she looked at him seriously. His lips set into a frown and he dropped his gaze, ashamed. "I don't trust myself."
They stood in silence. Jasper refused to look at her. She really did trust him; he felt that. He couldn't put her in that danger. Jasper felt a strong sense of worry coming from inside the house, and he immediately knew it was her mother. "Your mom is worried."
Now Jasper felt Anouk's amusement. "How do you know that?"
He shrugged, smiling in spite of himself and looking up. "It's a vampire thing. I have to go." He turned to leave back into the forest.
"But I have more questions to ask you!" she called to him. He turned to face her. "After all, it's not everyday you get to talk to a vampire."
Jasper smiled sadly. "I'll answer them all another time. I promise."
She looked at him skeptically. "Really?"
"I'm a man of my word."
She nodded, and smiled at him before turning and walking into her house. Jasper waited until she hear her mother ask, "Where have you been?!" before running with vampire speed back to his home.
He couldn't let anyone know that she'd found out. She'd promised not tell, and he'd promised that he would answer her questions. They could leave now. Not yet. Which means he had to keep his mind off of her so that Edward wouldn't catch on.
He went in silently through Alice's window. She was laying on her loveseat, playing with an Etch-a-Sketch. Jasper threw the baseball into her lap, and she looked up at him, smirking.
"There's your ball," he said as he walked through her room.
Mind off Anouk, mind off Anouk, he thought.
Edward looked up as he heard Jasper walking past his room. Jasper had begun thinking about the troops from the War to make sure that Edward didn't find out what had just happened with Anouk and blab to Carlisle and Esme without allowing Jasper to explain.
"Why are you thinking about your past in so much detail?" Edward asked curiously as Jasper passed.
Jasper shrugged. "Just trying to remember some old friends." Jasper kept walking until he reached his room. He opened his door and went in, plopping himself on his own couch.
His room was smaller than the other's, though it was still rather big. The only furniture in his room was the couch, which faced a wall of windows, and a couple armchairs, along with a coffee table and a desk, which was off to the side, also facing the windows. There was a wall of book cases adjacent to the windows, all of them almost completely filled with books, framed pictures (mostly of him and Alice), or small trinkets he had collected over the years. In the corner was his guitar, sitting upright in its stand.
It was a simple room, but very comfortable for Jasper.
He heard Alice talking to Edward in the other room, and Jasper knew that she was distracting him so that he could think about what had just happened.
So what exactly had happened? She found out the truth. Jasper was surprised that she figured it out so quickly, but half of him thought that he should have known; she was very determined to figure it out.
So there were a couple things that Jasper was completely sure of.
One, she knew that he and the rest of his family were vampire.
Two, she wasn't afraid of him.
Three, she still wanted to be with him.
And four, she probably wasn't going to tell anyone.
So maybe they could stay in Forks for a little bit longer. They had to stay at least long enough for Jasper to answer all of Anouk's questions. He had promised, after all.
Alice walked into his room and sat on the floor in front of him, grinning. "Hello, Jasper!"
"Hello, Alice," Jasper greeted as he took in Alice's happiness. It was always nice to be around Alice and her joy. It made him feel better about anything that was happening, and be happy for a little while. "Where's Edward?"
"Watching TV with Emmett and Rose downstairs," Alice said. "I think he'll be pretty distracted." She smiled at Jasper. "So, how did it go?"
Jasper contemplated his answer. "Well, she figured out what we are, so that's bad . . ."
"But she promised not to tell!" Alice interrupted. "We're not going to leave." She tapped her temple a few times. "I've seen it."
Jasper looked at Alice with a pained expression. "But Anouk –"
"What about her? She's not going to tell anyone. You know that, already," Alice whined.
Jasper looked at Alice in silence. She didn't understand. Anouk was getting too close. She was putting herself in danger, and Jasper didn't know how much longer he would be able to resist. He didn't want to hurt her. "She's not afraid . . ." Jasper said quietly. "She still . . . wants me."
Alice groaned. "That's still an issue?!" she exclaimed. "It's so obvious what to do, Jasper. And I already know what's going to happen. I thought you would have figured it out already."
"What are you talking about, Alice?"
"You and Anouk are supposed to be together!" she said smacking his forehead. "Duh! Why didn't you settle this when you were talking to her a few minutes ago?!"
"It's not safe . . ."
"Ugh!" Alice said standing up. "Okay, listen. I've seen a couple things, and there are some pieces missing, sure, but I get the gist of what's going to happen."
"And what is that?"
Alice was getting really irritated now. "You are so dumb sometimes," she said as she shook her head. "I'll put it simply for you. You. Anouk. Together. Lovey-dovey happiness. Do you get it now?"
"You saw that me and Anouk were—"
"Happily in love."
"And safe?"
Alice smiled sadly at Jasper. "Do you really have such little trust in yourself, Jasper?" She sat down next to him and looked at the wall, her eyes unfocused. She blinked and looked at Jasper smiling. "Okay, so she is at the dance studio, and you are going to meet her there and work everything out. And then walk her home. While you are gone, I'm going to explain everything to Carlisle."
Jasper looked at Alice skeptically. This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. They should at least talk to the family first. But Jasper already knew what they would say. They'd say that they had to leave immediately. Jasper wouldn't see her again.
He didn't want to leave.
"Go!" Alice urged impatiently and Jasper nodded his head slowly as he stood and walked over to his window. He slid open one of them and jumped out.
…….
When Jasper arrived at the dance studio, he didn't go in immediately. She it was almost seven thirty now, and she was in the middle of teaching young girls what appeared to be ballet.
"Keep your turnout!" she said loudly as she led the girls in doing tendus wearing tights and tutus. She looked different to Jasper now; authoritative, and serious.
She demonstrated at the front of the room before walking between past the girls, making sure they were doing it correctly. "Demi plié, and now go onto relevé," she instructed, and Jasper smiled slightly at how different she was when she was at school than how she was now. The girls all stood on their tiptoes, and gracefully raised one arm above their heads, the other holding onto the bar. "Okay, now go ahead and bring that leg up into a passé."
The girls brought one leg up into a sort of flamingo pose, their legs turned out to the side. Jasper noticed how they all looked to Anouk for approval, and he could feel how much they admired her. Anouk walked down the row of girls, stopping at one petit blonde and pushing her knee outwards. "Keep your turnout!" she stressed. "Use your muscles!"
She glanced at the clock and sighed. "Okay, time's almost up. Everyone do twenty pirouettes – ten to the right, ten to the left, and then you can go. Make sure to put your shoes in your cubbies. And practice keeping your turnout!"
One by one the girls left with their parents, until the only on left in the room was Anouk. Jasper watched her as she put on some music and began cleaning up after the girls. He figured now was as good a time as any, so he took a step in the direction of the door, but stopped when he saw Anouk slip on a pair of ballet shoes and begin dancing to the music herself.
He watched, mesmerized by her grace, and she twirled about, watching herself in the mirror. Her movements were slow, and precise, and it seemed every move she made had a thought behind it. Jasper had never seen anything more stunning. To him, she was more perfect than any vampire he had ever seen.
She leaped, switching directions and doing the splits in the air. Jasper couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked like an angel to him as he flew into the air and drifted back down, landing softly on one leg. She was practically glowing.
It looked so easy for her, but he could hear her heart begin to pound from the effort she was putting into it.
She did one last slow turn before continuing her work of cleaning up a small table, though she was still doing ballet footwork as she sorted through papers.
Jasper took his chance to enter before he got distracted again. He walked quickly through the front door and into a small lobby, quickly and quietly finding his way to the room she was in. He quietly opened the door. Her back was to him as she swayed to the orchestra that was playing through the speakers, and she hummed the tune as she organized some papers on the table, muttering to herself the steps of the routine to that song.
"Plié, pirouette!" she said happily, going through with the motions. When she was halfway through the pirouette turn, she spotted Jasper. She stepped out of Pointe as she gasped and fell backwards against the table, gripping it to keep her balanced. Her heart began beating faster.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you," Jasper said quickly.
She took a deep breath and nodded, turning back to her papers. "You know, when you said 'another time', I didn't think you meant two hours later," she said, slightly amused.
Jasper didn't respond. He took a step forward. Just one step. Her heart was still beating faster and harder than usual. "I . . . needed to talk to you now . . ." he said slowly. The pace of her heartbeat continued at a quick rate, but now Jasper could feel her nerves. She already knew what this was about.
"Are you going to tell me again that we can't be together?" she said, sighing, her back still to him. "Because I think being rejected three times is enough, don't you?"
Jasper smiled a small smile, and it was so quick he wondered if he really did smile. "I didn't come to reject you, Anouk." He took another step forward. "We'd have to be extremely careful I could; humans are very fragile. I'd have to hunt more often; I'm not going to take any risks by being the least bit hungry, but that's something I'm willing to do. I . . . wouldn't be able to touch you. No hugs, no . . . kisses . . . or anything. We probably wouldn't even be able to get too close . . ."
Anouk smiled slightly as she turned around to face Jasper, her eyes gleaming. "For now . . . just knowing that you're there is enough," she said. Jasper looked up from the floor and into her eyes. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, though not completely; he was too confused and worried to be completely happy, though it was the happiest he had been for a long time.
Anouk's phone started ringing, but she ignored it for the first few rings, not looking away from Jasper. She eventually picked it up and looked at the caller ID. "It's my mom. I should get home."
"I'll walk with you."
"Okay."
They walked without talking for half of the way, just glancing at each other with small smiles as they walked through the dimly lit streets. Anouk couldn't help but notice that even in the darkness, the flawlessness of his skin was perfectly visible. The moonlight shone on his face casting shadows in the perfect places, accentuating his features.
He was beautiful. And Anouk couldn't make herself think about anything else except that.
"Why were you in the forest?" he asked suddenly, furrowing his brow in confusion. Had his voice always been that smooth? She could have melted. How was she expected to answer?
"Wh- what?"
"Why were you in the forest?" he said, smirking.
She blushed a little. "Oh right." She quickly composed herself. "I followed a little girl." Anouk's eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh no! The little girl was in the forest when that other vampire ran off! What if the little girl got hurt?!"
Jasper, sensing her panic, sent her a burst of calmness. She sighed and shook her head. "I'm sure she'll be fine," Jasper said, though he didn't believe it himself. The little girl was surely sucked dry.
But Anouk didn't know that. She sighed again, and Jasper felt her relax. "So, can I finish asking you questions now?" she asked, smiling.
Jasper smirked. "If I can ask you some, too."
Anouk grinned and nodded. She thought for a second before asking, "So, you're not burned by the sun, you don't have to drink blood from a vampire to become one, you don't sleep in a coffin . . . did the movies get anything right?"
Jasper chuckled. "Well, at least they got that we drink blood."
Anouk chuckled once. "Can you—"
"My turn," Jasper said, cutting her off. She nodded at him to continue. "How did you figure it out?"
She let out a breath and blushed a little. Jasper stared at her. Her blush still amazed him, even in the dim lighting. "My mom was watching Interview with a Vampire . . ." Jasper threw his head back and laughed. Anouk stared at him; this had been the first time she had heard him actually laugh. It was musical, and she found herself wishing he would laugh more. He stopped laughing and looked at her.
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing," she said looking away. "Anyway, I was watching it with my mom and then I decided that you could be a vampire, because I'd considered everything else . . ." She chuckled at herself. "Can you see your reflection?"
"Of course," Jasper chuckled.
They continued like that all the way to Anouk's house, earning a few laughs and blushes along the way. When they arrived at her house, Anouk didn't want to go in. She'd rather stay outside and talk with him more. She'd rather stay with him right now than do anything.
"You know, one time I was a vampire for Halloween," she said, grinning, and rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet when they stopped walking. "Maybe I knew I'd meet some someday."
Jasper smiled but it quickly faded as his eyebrows pulled together and he glanced toward the house. "Your mom is worried. Again."
"She's always worried." Anouk didn't take her eyes off Jasper as he shook his head slightly, relaxing his muscles. "How do you know that she's worried?"
Jasper looked at her, tense again. "I can sense and control the emotions of others."
"That's . . . useful," Anouk commented.
Jasper shook his head. "It can get annoying sometimes. I don't like to use it much."
"So all that time, you knew how I was feeling?" she whispered. Jasper nodded slowly. "Wow. Must be hard to lie to you."
"It's harder to lie to Edward."
"Why?"
"He can read minds."
"What?!" she exclaimed, but quickly covered her mouth, looking nervously to the front door. "He can read minds?"
"Yes," Jasper chuckled. "And Alice can see the future."
Anouk was silent for a moment as she took all this in. Alice could see the future; she must have known what was coming between her and Jasper. And Edward knew what she was thinking about him. And Jasper knew what she felt. The. Whole. Time. She blushed a little as she realized that even though she had never told anyone about what she had been going through the past couple weeks, it had been far from secret.
It was too weird. Like a freaking circus.
"You should really go in now. Your mom might go searching for you soon," Jasper's deep voice said, interrupting her thoughts.
Go in? But then he would leave. "But . . . I don't want to," she said, almost pleadingly. "I still have some questions, and . . . and don't you? And . . . and . . ."
Jasper licked his lip quickly and smiled at her, which instantly shut her up. He had to know the affect he had on her.
"Your mother is worried about you, and I'm sure Carlisle and Esme need to speak to me," Jasper said, smiling. Anouk bit her lip and looked at the ground, disappointed. "Don't worry though. I'm not going anywhere . . . I'll see you tomorrow."
She smiled up at him and nodded, not quite believing that this was truly happening.
"Goodnight," he said her softly, and she waved at him slightly, still biting her lip, but smiling. She turned and walked towards the front door, smiling to herself.
Jasper Hale. Wanted to be with her. Was with her. A couple. With Jasper Hale. A vampire.
"It's just unreal," she whispered to herself as she opened the door and stepped inside. She slowly took off her shoes and coat by the door, still thinking about how amazing it was. How amazing he was.
"There you are, Anouk!" her mother said as she ran up to Anouk, hugging her. "I was worried about you. You should have been home a long time ago."
"I'm sorry, Mom," Anouk said, still focused on the image of Jasper in her head. She grinned at her mother. "It won't happen again."
Her mother looked at her suspiciously. "What took you so long?"
Anouk practically floated past her mother towards the stairs. "Just walked slowly," she said simply.
"Oh, Anouk," her mother practically whined. Anouk stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned towards her mom, looking at her curiously. "It's a boy isn't it?"
Anouk smiled and rolled her eyes at her mother as she climbed the stairs to her room where she immediately laid on her bed, still thinking about him.
How could someone as perfect as him want someone as weak and imperfect as her? Apparently, all vampires were gorgeous, and he could have any model-like vampire he wanted. But he wanted her.
And he had her.
~.~.~.~.~
Really important. Please read:
Okay so, I hoped you liked this chapter. I thought I would, but I didn't like it much . . .
So, yeah, review please so I can stay motivated.
Tell me your favorite line.
Your favorite chapter.
What you like about Anouk. What you don't like about her.
What songs you think about when reading each chapter.
Suggestions. What you want to happen next. That sort of thing. Please?
For those of you who want to see what happens with Jared . . . It's in the next chapter!
OH AND IF YOU WANT, GIVE ME A LINE YOU WANT SOMEONE TO SAY TO SOMEONE ELSE, AND MAYBE I'LL PUT IT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.
For example.
You review saying "put this line. "You are a biotch, you biotch"
And I put it in the next chapter (maybe) like this. "Rosalie took a step towards Alice, glaring at her. "You are a freak, Alice," Rosalie said, evilly.
"You are a biotch, you biotch!" ALice called back before slapping Rosalie across the face. "
(the above really isn't in the story. Just an example.)