Chapter Ten: Spotlight
Oh just take the fall,
You're one of us,
The spotlight is on.
Mutemath - Spotlight
Tap Tap Tap
A soft sound caused the small dark haired girl to glance up from the pillow that her face had been firmly planted in with the soft hope that if she stopped breathing long enough she would not wake up, and realize that everything was one horrible dream... though as it had turned out, she had only turned red in the face and was now slightly dizzy from lack of oxygen, though she wasn't dead, or even injured.
"LUCY? CAN I COME IN?" A loud, almost shrill, voice came from outside of the door; it was like a high pitch bell that was being rung right besides her ears. It took but a moment to realize that the tiny vampire with short black hair was standing outside of her door. Alice. She had never truly spoken with Alice. Everything she had heard of the girl was... unique, to put it lightly. Apparently, she also thought that Lucy was deaf. "ARE YOU ASLEEP?"
"Of course." Lucy sat up, taking deep breaths to make up for nearly five minutes of suffocating herself. She doubted anyone would have been able to sleep through her yelling. Glancing in the mirror she nearly laughed, her face was practically purple it was so red. Alice walked in, her eyes slightly wide as she took in her face.
"Lucy, you are purple in the face." Alice said blatantly, causing Lucy to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. It seemed surreal.
"I was trying to see if I could suffocate myself." Lucy said, putting on a smile as she swung her legs off of the side of the large bed. Alice looked confused.
"Why would you do that?" Alice asked her, a soft wrinkle between her eyebrows as she looked at the slightly taller girl.
"I was bored. It didn't work." Lucy shrugged, standing up and running her fingers through her hair. Even after having been almost magically smoothed out thanks to her nameless attacker, it looked large compared to her body. She had cut it once, in the twenties... she nearly had an afro. There had been nothing attractive about it what-so-ever. At least when it was long, it sort of pulled itself down with the weight.
"Oh." The shorter girl said. Lucy took her first look at Alice as she felt her face returning to normal, the stars around her head seeming to disappear rather quickly. She was short, and very pretty. Even standing still she seemed to exude a grace that made Lucy feel clumsy, despite having been one of the most graceful and poised people she had known. She had taken ballet from the time she was four; which made for quite a few years... yet standing besides Alice she couldn't help but feel like a klutz.
"Well I heard from a couple of people that the reason you didn't want to go to Prom was because you couldn't dance, so I was going to offer to help you." Alice began casually, her golden eyes glistening mischievously. There was a certain gleam to her eyes that made Lucy suddenly feel like a science experiment; much more than with Amber and Sam. She had to snicker a bit to herself with the thought that the vampires seemed to look at humans as more of a toy than as a person. It was as though with each of their interactions they thought 'If I do this, what will they do?'
"I can dance, I just don't see a reason to go to prom." Lucy shrugged. "I told my friends I would go, though honestly I don't see the big deal."
"It's a reason to go shopping, to dress up, to make yourself look beautiful, and spend the night dancing with people you care for." Alice said whimsically, somehow it seemed as though she danced even when she stood motionless. It was as though Alice lived in a musical, and everyone else was simply the boring background. Lucy looked at her curiously, she had not spoken much with Alice, nor had she heard a great deal about her. (Which could be in part because she doesn't listen when she hears things.) Yet from what she had heard, and from her reactions, she had a feeling that Alice had not had a particularly normal human life; she reveled in what normal teenage things she could partake in; she could pretend to be normal. She could dress up, and have fun; pretend for one night that she didn't need to kill other creatures to survive, and act as though she wasn't going to live forever.
"Yes, I suppose it is." Lucy said putting on a smile. Living for a long time made it hard to take joy in the individual moments; something that to a normal person would seem so special didn't make any difference. Getting a car when you turn '16', going to high school dances, getting asked out on a date, graduating high school, getting in to a good school, being offered a job... once it becomes routine, you start to forget that it's supposed to be special.
"Would you like to try teaching me to dance? I am sure we could teach one another a few things." She told the smaller girl warmly. Her eyes lit up, and before Lucy could do anything, the smaller girl had tossed her over her shoulder and she was standing downstairs in the living room, clutching on to Alice for support. Lucy grimaced, glancing up to see Emmett laughing out at her. He was sitting on the couch flipping through channels faster than Lucy could even comprehend.
"I'm teaching Lucy to dance, go away." Alice shooed him away as she disappeared in a blur to a stereo system. She began messing with dials as she climbed up a step ladder to press knobs. She turned with a frown, her tiny hands on her hips. "That means go away, Emmett. I don't want Lucy getting self conscious."
"I don't mind, Alice. So long as I'm not dancing with Emmett. I think he would purposely throw me in to the ceiling or something." Lucy smirked. Emmett laughed at the accusation.
"I would not, Esme would kill me." He retorted, causing Lucy to laugh as Alice messed with the radio.
"Of course, worry about the house." Lucy rolled her eyes; it wasn't a frame of mind that she had been accustomed to, though she supposed that if they were built like rocks, and as strong as bears. There wouldn't really be much of a reason to worry about their personal well being; they were already dead, so it wasn't like any real harm could come to them. "Don't worry about hurting anyone, but the house? Heavens no."
"You could just repair yourself, make it all better. Esme would make me fix the ceiling by hand, at a human pace." Emmett stated, as though it were an obvious fact.
"Humans do not repair themselves, they heal." She frowned, folding her arms. "And healing would be quite difficult to do if I am bleeding all over the place in a shark pit."
"What is that supposed to mean?" He folded his arms, mimicking her stance.
"It means that you guys eat blood, and I don't think waving it around your house would be a wise idea. It's not that I don't trust y'all... I just don't really care to take any chances. I may be immortal, but that doesn't exactly make being bitten enjoyable." She told him darkly.
"What does it feel like for you? When it happened. Did it hurt?" Emmett asked, her, he was curious. Alice appeared besides her, holding a small remote. The TV turned off, and she could tell that the girl was waiting for them to finish talking.
"No, it felt like the sunshine on my face, a warm spring rain, and falling in love. All in one." She smirked sarcastically. "How do you think it felt? It hurt!"
"But what did it do to you?" He asked her, rolling his eyes at her sarcasm.
"Honestly, once the pain subsided, it felt odd." She said in a curious tone, unsure of how to describe it. "It was like being drugged. Once I got over feeling ill, and realized that it wasn't going to kill me, it was almost enjoyable."
"Only you." He laughed, lounging back on the chair as Alice pushed it back effortlessly. Lucy couldn't help but be impressed at the strength in the small girl.
"I thought we would start with a waltz." Alice said cheerfully, approaching Lucy with a worrying level of eagerness. Lucy smiled, putting her hands out to the girl. Alice was a silent teacher, grabbing the taller girls hands and positioning her.
It was an odd thing dancing with a vampire that was smaller than any normal person. She was ice cold, hard, and her fingers felt like twigs on Lucy's bare shoulder. She wished she had dressed better for dancing; her off the shoulder sweater and tight jeans that had looked so stylish were hardly good for dancing. Alice, for some reason unknown to Lucy, had allowed Emmett to have the remote. He found it quite amusing to switch the music at inopportune times, such as mid turn, or mid step. Yet Alice effortlessly moved through. Lucy hadn't been too slow at picking up the movements, as she had danced for nearly her entire life, yet Alice was decidedly quicker; almost as though she could predict when Emmett was going to change it. She then frowned at the realization that she probably could.
Finally, he settled on a quick big band piece. The one good thing to come out of the forties and fifties had been the dancing. It wasn't as technical as other forms, and it was much more laid back than what Lucy usually preferred, yet it was also much more fun. Alice was easily the best dance partner that Lucy had ever had; she nearly wanted to ask the girl to Prom with her simply to have such a skilled partner. She couldn't help but smile with enjoyment. Neither girl spoke, they simply danced. She was surprised, as she spun the girl briefly, at how light she felt. For some reason, she had thought that Alice would weigh a ton due to feeling like a rock. Yet then, as she started to think about it, she realized that her hands felt softer, almost as though they had warmed up under her touch.
"Alice finally found her dance partner." Lucy heard Emmett say, she and Alice stopped for a moment, grinning at one another like giggling school girls.
"It would seem she has." Carlisle stood besides Emmett, chuckling slightly to himself as the two girls glanced at him. Lucy glanced back to Alice, nearly in shock.
"You look like you're blushing!" Emmett choked out. Carlisle and Emmett ran to the two girls. Lucy pulled her hands away from Alice. Alice looked confused, glancing down at her hands. They had gotten so wrapped up in dancing that they hadn't noticed the small changes Alice was experiencing.
"Why do I feel so odd?" Alice asked, looking to Carlisle, confusion apparent in her eyes, that seemed to be a mixture between their golden yellow, and a pale grey blue; though rather than being green, it looked as though they couldn't make up their mind, shots of each color brightly going through them. Her skin had darkened slightly, though she was still markedly pale; perhaps the largest change in her now tinged pink cheeks. "I feel very hot."
"You are warm." Carlisle felt her forehead. She looked wide eyed.
"You're cold!" Alice said curiously, she looked to Lucy with extreme confusion and curiosity. Before another word could be said, the rest of the house appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Esme approached the small woman and Rosalie watched with a frown besides Emmett. Edward and Jasper were watching from the stairs, though Jasper looked more confused than Alice had. Judging by his expression, she suspected that he was nearly as confused by her situation as she was. It was a slight comfort, though it barely made up for the fact. Edward, however, looked curious, and angry. It was strange, almost as though the two had traded places. For two years she had only seen Jasper show a couple of emotions; one looked pained, one was hungry, and the other was anger and disgust. Perhaps that was why she had never connected him with the caring man in her past. Yet in the time that she had come to know him, she found that he seemed to be a very torn man. He had never told her about his past, what had happened when he was bitten... though it must have been something horrible; something that made it hard for him to deal with being around people. It was as though there was a switch, he would be fine one moment, yet in one brief second he would be distant, angry, pained, and disgusted.
"It feels as though the blood in your body is trying to pump through the veins. It doesn't seem possible, though I can hear it very silently." Carlisle said as he listened to her arm. Lucy knew that if he could barely hear it, there was no hope for her to even recognize it. "Do you know what you did?"
"I was just dancing with her." She felt guilty, and shocked. Alice winced as her color slowly faded, her eyes were now their bright golden. Her cheeks were losing their color, though her hands were the last bit to hold on to the soft pink hint; the skin softer and warmer than the rest of her body. Unconsciously she took a step back, a gulp in her throat. Perhaps that was why the vampire had been following her; why he had heard of her.
"Lucy, could you come here?" Carlisle asked, motioning her towards he and Alice. Lucy tentatively obliged, standing besides the two. Much to the dismay of the others, he led them towards his den, shutting the door for privacy. He directed her to hug the smaller girl.
"All right." She said slowly, somewhat worrisome at the prospect. What if it hurt Alice? What if having been bitten by that vampire had heightened her ability? It seemed a strange idea, but she had assumed that the reason vampires could have special skills was that their human abilities were heightened; and she had gotten some traits of vampirism; the smoother, more fair skin, sleeker hair, and she seemed to be less clumsy; not that she had been before. Yet beyond liking her meat rare, which she had before anyways, she didn't have any urge for blood... though she had been craving meet more than before; not to the point where she could justify killing one, yet considering she had gone nearly forty years without eating meat, wanting it frequently was something she should have paid attention to before. Alice felt cold, and hard. As she had expected. She waited patiently, her arms wrapped awkwardly around the small girl, she closed her eyes, resting her head on her shoulder in a tired fashion. She wasn't very sleepy, though she could tell that Alice felt as awkward about the intimacy as she did.
"You are amazing, Lucy." She heard Carlisle say in awe. Lucy shot her eyes open curiously, pulling back from the girl to look at her as the girl was gasping slightly, taking shallow breaths, her hand had moved from around the girl to her throat.
"Don't let go of her." Carlisle instructed as he reached up and began taking vitals of Alice, and then of Lucy. She felt eager; worried, curious, and surprised. Alice had gone from being cold and hard, to being soft, and warm. Her eyes, no longer held traces of gold, rather they were a pale grey blue, with a brown circle around the outside.
"It would seem you are able to counteract the venom." Carlisle said in wonder, shaking his head. "How do you feel, Alice?" The two watched her with baited breath, eager to hear what her response was. She seemed to have stopped grasping her throat, and looked between the two in shock, her eyes finally resting on Carlisle.
"I feel... alive. I can't hear everyone outside of the door anymore, I can't feel her heartbeat against my skin... and I can't see as clearly as before." Alice said slowly, taking a deep breath; she looked up to him almost frantically. "I can't smell her blood. I can't see the future."
The first day back from spring break was sunny; not a cloud hung in the sky and Lucy felt herself smiling brightly. Not only was she happy for the warm, sunny, spring-like weather; but the sun meant that she would not be escorted to school by the Cullens, as they had preferred. It made little sense to her why they had become so oddly protective over her, and while it was a comforting feeling, it left her feeling slightly uneasy. Her entire weekend, rather than spent outside enjoying the sun, had been spent pent up inside as Carlisle ran various tests on her, using Alice as her strange guinea pig of sorts. The entire student body seemed to be celebrating the weather as she had wanted to, taking every chance to run outside; throwing frisbees between classes.
"No friends today?" Lucy frowned as she glanced up from her seat in US History. Sam was smirking as she plopped down unceremoniously in to her seat besides the girl. "I nearly expected you to move your seat away from me and over by them."
"Ha. Ha." Lucy told her dryly. shaking her head as she glanced out the window.
"Where are they, anyway? They always disappear when it's sunny, but what do they actually do? Now that you're on the inside, you need to let us average people know." Sam said excitedly. "Are they as weird as they seem? Are they actually hiking, or do they just stay at home? What is their house like? I heard it was amazing."
"If you really want to know, why don't you ask Bella Swan? She knows them much more than I do. I am hardly friends with them." Lucy told her darkly. Truthfully, she would have considered Emmett and Alice a friend now, and she couldn't help but fall in love with Esme and Carlisle. Though the rest of the Cullen family was much harder to deal with. Rosalie seemed content on ignoring the girl, and shooting her dirty looks, and Edward was rarely there, while Jasper... Jasper was another story entirely. Lucy had thought it would be hard living under the same roof as him, that she would be able to think of nothing but him... yet by Friday evening he had made it more than apparent that he held none of the sentiment that she had. If she were in a room, he would disappear in a blur, his face a look of utter repulsion that was worse than any expression Rosalie could muster. The few brief moments where they had gotten along seemed to equate to nothing in comparison to the time that he avoided her like the plague.
"She just knows Edward, and Alice." Sam groaned. "What about Emmett? And Jasper? And their parents, what are they like? Are you and Jasper going to prom yet?"
"I-" Lucy wanted to hit her head against the table at the questioning. She had known to expect it, though she was suddenly wishing she had taken up the Cullens on their offer to let her stay with them on the day off.
"You're going with him?" A disgusted hiss came. Lucy glanced up to see a very disgusted looking Tyler. His hair looked as though it hadn't been brushed in months, hanging somewhat lazily around his face, barely pushed out of the way of his pale eyes.
"No, I am not going with him." Lucy said, her head then snapped outside at a soft sound. Within the ten minutes that she had entered the building, and found her way to class, it had started to rain. She groaned, annoyed at the rain. Typical Forks. She would not make the same mistake again in choosing somewhere to live; next time she was choosing somewhere warm and sunny.
"Like he would go with her. I'm just waiting for him to ask me." Lucy couldn't hold back the bark like laugh as she watched the brown haired girl saunter to her chair a couple of rows ahead of Lucy. At that time, she felt herself sinking deeper in to her chair. Emmett and Jasper entered the room, Emmett was smirking, whispering something to Jasper. Jasper seemed to smirk at it as he glanced around the room. Jessica was batting her eyelashes at him.
"I think she's having a seizure." Lucy smirked to Sam, who began laughing at her. Tyler frowned, looking very angrily at the two boys who had entered.
"But-" Tyler began, but a shrill bell alerted them that class had now started, and the Fuhrer Gripling did not take kindly to people out of their seat when the bell rang.
"Before class begins, I would like to let you all know of a field trip that we will be taking. As is traditional for this class, we will be attending the Port Townsend Victorian Days in two weeks time. For those of you in need of extra credit, you may dress up in your best Victorian costume, and partake in activities there." Mrs. Gripling said, her eyes landing on Sam. Lucy hated that the teacher had constantly picked out Sam; she wasn't that much worse than the average student, though because she had always partnered with Lucy it made her look worse. "I will be handing out permission slips at the end of class."
Lucy doodled idly on her notepad as the teacher lectured about something or other; she thought it was world war 1, though she didn't pay much attention. The teacher only picked on her when she was having a bad day, and no one would answer her questions correctly; Lucy had picked up on that in her first year there. She had become the go-to person for answers in her classes; the only exception being the Cullen children. Edward, in particular, had always seemed quite astute for answering questions when he had been paying no attention to the teachers. She had not thought much of it, though finding that he could read minds made it almost as though he were cheating. Ten minutes before the bell would ring students began moving about restlessly. Students never changed. The class was hardly an hour long, yet they always began to prepare to leave before the bell had even been near ringing. Lucy glanced over to Sam's notes as the class came to a slow close. Homework was to read a chapter in the book.
"So Luce, you're really not going to Prom with Hale?" Tyler asked, his arms folding over the edge of her desk as he had spun to face her. She frowned at him, taking in his appearance. He wore a t-shirt with some random logo on it, and baggy jeans that looked as though they were a size too large.
"No, I am not." She said as she slid her stuff in to her bag. One minute until the bell rang.
"Why not?" He asked her curiously. She slid her lightweight jacket on over her blouse, frowning.
"Why not?" She repeated his words slowly, a scowl deepening on her features.
"Well everyone thought that the two of you had something going on. I mean, Jessica Stanley saw him at your house, and everyone knows you spent spring break with them." He offered casually; she caught a look of hope in his eyes. She glowered, glancing sideways to Emmett and Jasper, both were watching her somewhat curiously. Sam looked much like a child about to receive a Christmas present.
"I went to New Orleans for spring break, and there has never been anything between Hale and I." Lucy said icily, her eyes narrowing to the taller boy as he stood at the edge of her table. Sam looked crestfallen, and Emmett looked amused. Jasper, however, seemed to have gotten a whiff of Tyler, as he suddenly looked very uncomfortable. Thirty seconds.
"Oh, Well I just thought-" He began cautiously, his tone rambling slightly. Next to Emmett he looked like a breakable twig. She wondered if that was how she looked around them.
"You didn't think anything." She said darkly as the bell rang, pushing him over the desk to go past him angrily.
"Well no one was asking you because they were afraid Hale might hurt them." He called out as he followed her. Any lackluster feeling Sam may have had was gone as she followed gleefully, eager for the newest gossip.
"What?" She hissed, stopping in the center of the hallway. Sam took a step back, and Tyler seemed slightly surprised to see her angry expression. She had not particularly wanted to go to prom, though she had not thought that this 'Jasper' thing was so spread around as it apparently had been. They hadn't even spoken at school. Her eyes narrowed past Tyler, to the taller boys that exited the classroom after them.
"Well with the way you stared after him, everyone thought that you had to like him." Tyler told her, drawing her attention back from the two Cullen boys to him. "I mean, no offense, but if Jess hasn't gotten him, I don't know what hope you have."
"I do not want him." Lucy hissed, taking a step towards the boy angrily. She wasn't sure what had taken over her, but all she could think of was wanting to hurt this young man for being so presumptuous, and egocentric. It was as though she had never felt so angry with someone for something in her entire life.
"I don't mind being your second choice, when you realize he won't take you." The boy continued, a cocky glint in his pale eyes. Before she had even thought about what she was doing she heard a loud crack, followed by gasps. With slightly wide eyes she realized that the crack had come from her fist, connecting with his cheek bone. A second crashing sound came as his head hit against the lockers behind him. A surge of adrenaline rushed through her body, a strange sense of smugness at having caused him immense pain as he writhed, leaning against the lockers as blood began to pour out of his nose like a faucet that couldn't turn off. Jasper went completely rigid, and Emmett began to try to pull him away. Her smugness was short lived as she instantly felt guilty. She knew Jasper had the least control out of them all, the fresh blood would be like hell for him.
"Who did this?" Mrs. Gripling appeared, a sneer on her face at the thought of the students fighting in the hall.
"I walked in to the lockers, Mrs. Gripling." Tyler said, though it came out slightly mangled as blood clogged his nose. She looked apprehensive, but glancing around it seemed as though there was no one else to have done it so she shook her head at the clumsy boy and returned to her room. Lucy shook her head, for once thankful for the boys misplaced pride, and ran down the hall in the direction where she saw Emmett struggling with Jasper. The thought that by running after them, her entire fight had been pointless barely registered.
"Lucy, you shouldn't come-" Emmett began, as Jasper growled slightly at being pulled down the stairs. Lucy took a step back, his eyes were pitch black as he bared his teeth to her. Lucy gulped slightly, but latched her hands around his arm that Emmett had held down as he led him towards the exit.
"Lucy, this is suicide." Emmett growled darkly, though continued to lead him away from the school. She felt the pit in her stomach grow; the one that told her she should run, but that her feet rarely listened to. Punching a defenseless boy in the heat of anger, and running from a thirsty vampire were two separate things. She didn't even try to understand why she had become so angered by the boy.
"I'll be fine, Emmett." Lucy said, her voice much more smooth than she felt. She knew that Jasper had become more cooperative the moment she had touched him. Not because she had a soothing presence; but because she was a nearer source of blood. She could see the battle behind his eyes; the desire to kill, the inquentiable thirst... and the desire to be a decent person; to not rely on killing other humans for his own life.
"Why did you have to punch him? Couldn't you have just walked away?" Emmett frowned, pushing open the doors, ignoring the curious students that watched as the three exited. She could feel his arm warming, though the untamed thirst was nothing like Alice's; and Jasper was twice the size of Alice, which meant it would be twice as hard to circulate whatever anti-vemon magic she had.
"We need to go to you car; he needs to bite me." Lucy said firmly as they walked down the cement steps towards the parking lot. Emmett and Jasper looked at her incredulously. She saw Jasper try to shake his head, though his body was more tense and stiff than usual; his eyes held no hint of the golden color of Emmett's.
"What?" Emmett choked out. "You can't-"
"I will be fine, Emmett. He needs to." She said firmly, her eyes narrowed at the large man. He wanted to protest, but she began walking more quickly, tugging at Jasper's arm. He began moving faster at her urging, which Emmett was thankful for, though his eyes were masked with a hint of disapproval. She hadn't understood how her 'gift' could have helped any, and why Madam Leveau had been insistent that they would need one another; yet suddenly it all clicked. He didn't have a lot of restraint, for whatever reason it was. He never shared his story with her, though she didn't press for it; her mind was not nearly as inquisitive as many were. She could make him more human; more alive... she had made Alice feel hungry for human food simply by touching her; the desire for blood had disappeared all together... granted once they stopped touching it went away... but if touching had that severe of an impact, certainly biting her would have made them nearly human. She had discussed it with Carlisle, though they had been unwilling to test the hypotheses. Yet it made sense; why else would vampires have tracked her all throughout the country? Why would they have been so eager to take her, when she could not be changed or killed?
"He needs to calm down, a few days away. Hunt more." Emmett said firmly as they stood outside of his car. He was rightly incredulous, but Lucy felt certain that this was the best option.
"Emmett, it is either he bites me, or we get much more physically intimate than either of us are comfortable with." Lucy bit sharply, her tone held a strong sense of finality that even Emmett could not argue with as he opened one of the doors for her. The sound of the bell in the distance told them that their English class had started.
She sat in the passenger side as Emmett led Jasper in to the driver seat. Lucy couldn't help but worry that maybe she was doing the wrong thing; yet the voice in the back of her head said that she had to do this. She had seen the look in his eyes, and the way he had been trying to get away from Emmett... She had been able to stop him from killing an entire hallway. If anything, she had been able to lure him out of the school. As the car moved slightly at the weight of Jasper sitting she saw Rosalie and Edward appear on the stairs. They had undoubtedly ran as casually as they could to make sure Jasper hadn't attacked students. With a sigh she glanced to Jasper. He looked pained as the wheels behind his eyes churned away; he wanted to bite her, but he didn't want to. Before she could blink she felt a cold hand by the side of her face. He was touching her hair, a slightly dark tug of his lips. Her breath hitched as her heart raced.
"Just do it, Jazz." She said quietly, her legs folded beneath her on the seat, and her bag forgotten on the floor of the car. She leant towards him, pushing her hair out of the way from beneath his hand. She felt as though an odd electric current had raced through her as the back of her hand touched his palm. Her eyes unconsciously looked to his mouth, his lips pulled back, his teeth shining brightly, glistening with anticipation.
Breath, Luce. She had to remind herself; she had never felt more anticipation for anything. She jumped instinctively as one of his hands reached behind her neck and he leant closer. His breath tickled the exposed skin on her neck and time seemed to move slowly; she could practically feel each second passing. The first time she had been bit was nothing like this; it had been like a savage, eagerly eating their first meal in days. There had been no sense of savoring the moment. Yet now, it was as though she was a delicacy that he wished to prolong; a fine wine that one would first smell, closing their eyes as they allowed the scent to overtake their senses. Had it not been for the fact that she knew he would bite her, it would have been a very intimate moment. She felt numb, stupidly frozen in her place as he sniffed at her neck. Both of his hands were held in her hair, securing the angle that her neck had been pulled to. Her heart pulsed loudly, awaiting the inevitable, or perhaps it was more than simply that. All of her silly hopes at having been this close to him were suddenly real, and for some stupid reason, the fact that it was so that she could sacrifice herself to save his face, and keep the student population from dying seemed to hardly hinder her underlying excitement.
The pain that shot immediately through her body was like nothing she had ever experienced. Her hands instinctively reached to his shoulders as though to push him away, yet she didn't push and he didn't seem to notice. It was the strangest feeling as she could feel her blood pushing out; out and in to his cold lips that were pressed firmly against her neck. Her eyes were shut tightly. It was nothing like when the other vampire had attacked her; it felt more painful, yet, absolutely amazing. Her entire body felt like it was engulfed in flames, a beautiful, and light flame that both burned, and seared her with pain and desire.
As suddenly as he had started, it stopped. He had pulled away quickly, and she felt herself fall against the leather seat of the car; despite his coldness, she suddenly felt as though she were freezing without his burning touch. She let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding, her heart rate raced faster than she'd ever experienced before. Her head felt heavy, as though she'd just eaten a large meal for thanksgiving and wanted nothing more than to lay down in a warm bed. It took a few moments for her heart to slow to a normal pace, though Jasper remained silent the entire time. After what felt like an eternity she dated to open her eyes, she squinted to look around as the car grew blurry and out of focus. Jasper had returned to hunching over the steering wheel as he silently gasped for breath with his face hidden by his arms. This was what had happened to the other vampire, as well. The choking, the strange, confused sense of illness. Glancing outside she saw that the others had disappeared. Somehow the thought that they had trusted her enough to leave her with him made her feel a swell of pleased pride.
"Are you all right?" Lucy asked after three minutes had passed. She gently reached out to touch his shoulder. He sat motionless against the wheel. He seemed to jump at her touch and his shirt felt warm beneath her hand. He looked at her, seeming as unfocused as she had been with she first opened her eyes, yet the most surprising thing was not his unfocused confusion.. She couldn't help but latch her arms tightly around his neck with a broad grin.
"What is going on?" He choked out. He was confused as he glanced around the car. She pulled back, unable to hide her smile. She felt as though everything was suddenly perfect. She had found her calling; she had found what she was meant for. She could make them human again, even if only temporarily. The risks seemed hardly important. His golden brown eyes widened as he saw a slight trickle of blood from her neck, the wound slowly healing itself naturally. "I attacked you?"
"You had to." She frowned at his quiet, disgusted tone. He shook his head.
"I am so sorry." He said, repeating it quickly under his breath. She reached a hand up and wiped the small trickle of blood from her neck. He must have had a great deal of practice; the other vampire had made a mess of her neck, yet she barely looked as though she'd gotten a paper cut. Grabbing a scarf from her bag she wrapped it around her neck, concealing the soft scar tissue that formed.
"Don't apologize, You were going to decimate an entire hall of students if I hadn't lured you out." She spoke softly, touching his arm gently. Her words seemed to do little to soothe him, yet she was cut off by a loud ringing. "Ah, Lunch time."
"Lunch time?" He furrowed his brows, glancing up at the school. She leaned back on to her chair with a sigh. A quiet grumbling in his stomach caught her attention, causing her to smirk faintly. A wild idea began to form in her mind and she impulsively grabbed at his wrist. It felt smooth, and warmer than she had recalled. Cautiously, she lifted his hand and pressed at the skin gently to feel for a pulse. He looked at her curiously, but she couldn't help but be amazed with herself.
"You're alive." She said quietly in awe. He seemed even more surprised and confused than she was. She had been hopeful that this was what would happen, though she had never expected it to work. She had always been hopeful that a lot of things would happen, though it never seemed likely that they came true. As his stomach grumbled loudly once more she frowned, her thoughts torn on what to do. "You should try eating something."
"If I am going to have my first meal in 140 years, I do not want it to be cafeteria food." Jasper frowned as he looked outside of the car towards the school.
"You can have mine; I don't mind having greasy pizza." She said, pulling a paper bag out of the forgotten bag on the floor. He eyed it cautiously, but she waved her hand dismissively and stepped out in to the chilly spring air. She much preferred bringing her own lunch, and Esme had been more than willing to help her make some good 'comfort' foods for her to bring to school. With a quiet sigh he stepped out of the car. A slender way of light peaked through the clouds and hit his pale skin; his eyes widened in shock as it did nothing but reflect his paleness. Even the scars that littered his hands and neck seemed to hold less of a sheen now.
"What is this?" He eyed the bag warily as he walked with her through the school towards the low hum of the cafeteria. A few students ran past them towards the dining hall.
"I cooked it yesterday night." She said with a soft smile as he pulled put a long water bottle filled with a strange brown liquid that had condensation on the edge of the bottle. She was thankful for the non-melting 'ice blocks' she had found some time ago at a store; it kept drinks cold until lunch time, yet didn't make them watery. He opened it to smell with a frown. "You have had sweet-tea before, haven't you?"
"Very long ago." He shook his head as they entered the cafeteria. He took a sip, she could tell it felt strange for him to have the cold liquid go down his throat. "This tastes... better than I expected."
"I am glad you like it." She beamed, though she then felt her large grin fall as she realized that they were no longer in the peace of the parking lot, but standing in the entrance to the cafeteria. She had just punched a boy for saying that she was dating Jasper and she had just skipped off a class to be with him, and was entering the cafeteria with him.
"You should go sit with your family, I'm sure they are wondering how you're doing." She said quickly, playing with the tassles on her scarf before darting quickly towards the lunch line. She could feel him watching her, confused. With a tray in hand she frowned, her stomach dropping as she glanced to him.
"You're not going to sit with us?" He asked her, his brows furrowed as he stood in line with her. Rosalie and Alice stood ahead of them a ways in the line, glancing back to the pair curiously.
"You should sit with us, Lucy." Alice said with a smile. Lucy didn't want to sit with them. She had had some semblance of a normal life until she had gotten to know them. Though normalcy had been lonely; it had been tiresome, and boring.
"I wouldn't want to intrude on your family time." She smiled politely, trying to get her way out of it. She could feel Sam watching her, and through the corners of her eyes she saw the girl, broad grin on her face as she motioned a thumb's up. The anger was building back up, and she could feel her face flushing a bright red.
"Don't be ridiculous, you're practically one of us now." Alice said with a warm smile, though it did little to calm the curly haired girl, who suddenly felt her appetite diminish as she looked down to her pizza. She hated pizza.
"Okay." Lucy responded dumbly. She couldn't say no; it would be rude. She stopped at a small microwave that was set up on a tray. She grabbed the bag that Jasper was rummaging through curiously. He frowned as she began opening little bags from it, emptying the contents on to a paper plate. "It's no five star meal, but it's my comfort food."
"What is it?" He smelled a strange white substance that was in a small container.
"And you call yourself a southerner." She shook her head, grabbing it from his hands and putting it in to the microwave. "It's a country fried steak with gravy, some greens, and beans."
"You know that I haven't been able to eat southern food in a very long time." He frowned at her. She laughed, he almost sounded as though he was guilty, his arms folded across his chest defensively. She pulled it from the microwave before the timer had went off. She grabbed a piece of silverware from the bag that she had brought and began mixing it, leaning over it and bringing it to her face, feeling the eat against her lips. She began poking at it lightly before seeming content, handing the plate to him.
"It shouldn't be too bad." She said, suddenly feeling self conscious that he was going to eat her food. She realized that he hadn't eaten anything in over a century, so it wasn't as though he would have much memory to compare it to, yet she had rarely cooked for anyone, so it made her worry that her cooking would not be up to parr. She followed his footsteps towards the table in the back. She could feel the eyes of students on her curiously; even she wasn't that oblivious; even she had heard the murmuring when Bella had sat with Edward. She felt disgusted at what the students were saying, she could only hear a couple of things; side snickers to one another, giggling about what had happened in their missed class... so much for making them believe that there was nothing happening. Lucy quietly sat between Emmett and Jasper, feeling extremely uncomfortable. The discomfort was heightened a minute later when Edward and Bella arrived at the table, much to Rosalie's dismay.
"Lucy, this is Bella; Bella, this is," Edward paused tastefully, clearly unsure of what to say, Lucy frowned. She didn't know what he was going to explain her as. A neighborhood freak that decided to join them? Someone that Jasper had known?
"I'm Lucy, Jasper and I met in Texas before the Cullens adopted him." Lucy smiled politely, putting a hand out to shake the girl's hand. Her fingers were slightly clammy.
"Hello." Bella said, her voice was quiet, and sweet. It sounded as timid as she had expected it to. She turned to look at Edward. "I didn't know Jasper was from Texas."
"Yes, it was quite a surprise to find him here." Lucy said; she knew that Bella had known that the Cullens were all vampires, though she was unsure of how much of Jaspers past she knew, particularly his age. She could see what Edward had found attractive about her; up close she was much more striking than at a distance. There was a slight distinction to her face that made you not want to look away, to study it until you could tell quite what it was. Her skin was nearly translucent it was so pale, her eyes the warmest shade of browns, and her hair the darkest brown, yet still not black. She bit her lip as she looked deeply in thought for something. Lucy looked curiously, glancing back to Edward, but he was watching Jasper cautiously. She glanced from Bella to see the blonde boy, he was taking a bite of food. Bella seemed extremely confused to see this.
"Why is he eating? Is he wearing contacts?" Bella spoke quietly, though even Lucy could hear her. Jasper chewed the food slowly, before glancing down to Lucy, who hadn't touched her food.
"This is delicious, Lucy. Thank you. Though I feel guilty for having taken your lunch." Jasper frowned kindly at her. She grinned broadly.
"Nonsense. I eat food like this everyday. I only hope that it does not make you too ill." She said, frowning at the worry of what would happen once he turned back. It was the unknown that brought fear to her. The realization that while the other man had survived, she could have just sentenced him to death, that her suppositions could have been entirely wrong, her purpose here was not to help him with his blood lust.
"Calm down, Lucy. If Jasper starts to get sick, we will watch after him." Edward was the one to speak, causing Lucy to glance up from the plate of food in front of Jasper that she had been staring at while he ate eagerly. Suddenly she understood the strange, one sided conversations that Edward had held with everyone. They were talking to him in their mind. He seemed to smile, causing her to frown. He knew what she was thinking about.
'Is he okay? Does he seem to feel ill? You don't think I have set him up for death, do you?' she thought quickly, her brows puckered in fears. She hated the sensation that she had suddenly sentenced him to death.
"Jasper, can you tell Lucy that you're not going to die, again? She worries more than Esme." Edward smirked. Lucy folded her arms across her chest at the boy.
"Your cooking is delicious, and I feel fine." He told her, setting the fork down lightly, dabbing his face politely with a napkin. Even in a cafeteria his manners were impeccable; the idea that farmers were untamed was clearly incorrect. She had known her cooking was fine, that wasn't what worried her.
"I was not worried about the cooking." She responded dryly, taking a bottle of water from her bag and drinking it with a frown. The previous excitement she had felt was currently nonexistent as she worried over the fact that she very well may have killed him. She felt sick to her stomach.
"I don't see him dying, he still has things to do." Alice said with a reassuring smile, though it did little to comfort Lucy as she felt an overwhelming desire to throw up.
"I'm going home." Lucy stood up quickly, grabbing her tray with a disgusted expression as the smell of pizza entered her nose.
"Is she going to be okay?" Lucy heard Bella ask; she had to laugh slightly. The girl, while quite obviously a complete clutz that was drawn to trouble, was much more observant than Lucy had ever been. The smell of food was overwhelming, and it made her nausea unbearable. Before she was able to say anything to the rest of the Cullen family she ran out the back door, thankful for the fresh air.
"She's feeling a little sick." Edward told Bella; Lucy groaned as the door shut, closing out the noise, and the smell. She leant against the wall; she had been a fool not to think that it would make her ill; she had spent two days asleep the last time she had been bitten; yet for some reason she had assumed that because she felt all right after it had happened that she would be all right. The cool spring breeze felt nice on her face. The door opened slowly, the loudness was deafening.
"Would you like a ride home?" she heard Jasper ask, his voice concerned as his footsteps neared her. She opened her eyes, everything was bright, and slightly blurry.
"That would be wonderful, thank you." She straightened herself up with a frown, taking a deep breath as she willed the world to straighten itself, to stop spinning wildly at every movement of her head.
"Thank you for doing that; though Emmett could have gotten me out safely." He told her as they walked slowly towards the parking lot. "You should not have risked your safety like that."
"I'll get used to it eventually." She said, holding the railing as she walked slowly with her bag thrown over her shoulder somewhat lackadaisically. She could practically hear him frowning as he sighed exasperatedly, grabbing her bag and holding it over his shoulder effortlessly. "Thank you."
"You shouldn't have to. I should have had better control." He told her firmly, though she suspected it was more to himself than to her. Emmett wouldn't have stopped him. He was quicker; she could notice that much. He would have at least gotten to a few people before the others had been able to show up and stop him; and then it would have been impossible for them to stay at the school.
"I am supposed to." She said quietly, her eyes watching each step as her foot came crashing towards the ground. She didn't feel like she had had to walk this far the last time, so this might have been an improvement. Perhaps after her tenth bite she would be perfectly normal and adjusted to the feeling. This was what she was supposed to do, this was what she had been 'made' for. Madam Leveau had seen the future, and Jasper needed her to help him function normally in society; to go without notice. She was not meant to heal those that were ill; she was meant to keep monsters from killing innocent people.
A/N: So I lied and this chapter doesn't really have a lot of Alice in it, and we have yet to find out what's going on with her. I haven't started the next chapter, though sometime soon I promise there will be a 'girl' scene where we see more of Bella, and Alice. In the next chapter Jasper finds out what is in his new trunk, Lucy meets Alice' mystery boy, and the field trip to Port Townsend Victorian Days (which is actually a real thing.)
Let me know what you think. Thank you to everyone for reviewing/favoriting/putting this story on your alert list. (Giggaloop, Actress.4life., Reviewer1719, Briony 97, Foam Weber, GoddessVampAngel, SailingAwaySoftly, Cookies321, ..Jewel, Kombishiva, Midnight Writer Shadrach, Mystic-Raven999,Twerdy-91, firllyingbythesea901, sakurablossom142, wittyBYnature, MiDoRixOx, Ms. Wish, SirDidimus, aquakim, Becki2810, danny0112358, filmgrl13, geeklover988, and stare at string.) It really makes my day. :D Thank you!