Jasper Hale

Through the whole of the last century, the whole of my existence even, I had never seen anything more capturing than the woman who skipped towards me across the small diner. Her hair was black, spiky and short, and her eyes seemed to shine with excitement. Her small slip-on ballet shoes squeaked against the clean floor as she came towards me.

"You've kept me waiting a long time," she said, her quiet voice like bells. She was wearing a floaty red dress that was embroidered with flowers.

I lowered my head. "I'm sorry ma'am," I answered, though my brain was filled with confusion and wonder. I couldn't understand- this female was acting like nothing I had ever experienced before. She hadn't attacked me- she seemed friendly. Her emotions were a swirling mass of happiness, relief, joy and amusement.

She took my hand, her small fingers laced with mine, and it felt right. Like we had been moulded out of clay to fit each other. My hopes rose. Maybe I wouldn't have to hate any longer… maybe I would be able to feel normal emotions, and be able to sink out of the pit of depression I had fallen into these past years.

She led me out of the diner, into the raging storm that I barely noticed. It whipped my hair about my face and into my eyes, but I couldn't feel the pain.

"My name is Alice," she said. "And yours is Jasper."

"Would it be rude to inquire how you know my name?" I said. I thought it improper to be holding a woman's hand, especially as she was a stranger. But I didn't want to drop her hand- it felt good.

"I am a vampire, as you probably know," Alice explained lightly, "And my power is to see the future. I've been waiting for you Jasper- and even if you didn't know it, you have been waiting for me. And now we've found each other!"

I didn't have a reply to this, but I knew her words to be true.

"I know everything about you," Alice said softly, and squeezed my hand.

I tensed at once. She knew everything? All those fights… all those humans I had murdered?

"Don't worry," Alice chimed, "I don't blame you for any of it. With all that pain and hatred… I'm surprised you survived!"

"You know about my power, ma'am?"

"Don't be silly," Alice giggled, "There's no use in calling me that! But yes, I know about you power. I know it must have been hard to restrain yourself as much as you did."

I began to run after her, and we picked up speed. I followed on her heels as she gracefully loped just ahead of me.

"Where are we going?" I asked simply.

"We're going to live with other vampires," she muttered from ahead.

I stopped running.

After a few seconds, she stopped, and came back to me.

"What is it?" she said softly, a hand on my shoulder.

"I can't live with others… there are too many emotions! I can't stand hate any more."

"What do you mean, Jasper? They won't hate you! I've seen it," she tapped her temple.

"You misunderstand me," I said. "I'm not worried about that."

I stared at her face, at her pale cheeks and her perfectly slanted eyebrows. She stared back for a couple of seconds, then she closed her eyes and a small crease appeared on her forehead. She seemed to sway on her feet, and then she began to fall. I rushed forward, and caught her before she touched the ground.

She lay there in my arms, seeming to weigh no more than a feather. She still didn't wake.

"Alice!" I said worriedly. I brushed her hair away from her eyes and shook her gently. Vampires couldn't get ill, could they? Was I just about to loose my only hope, as soon as it was given to me? That couldn't happen. It wouldn't.

I began to run.