A/N: Here is a little taste to hold you until I can get more out of my head... I have good creative days and bad ones... I've recently read some stories about social/psychic/emotional vampirism... very interesting concept. To say the least. -No, that's not what's been happening to me, lol...mine is just stress; but it DID inspire the theme of this chapter (I'll explain at the end of the chapter)

The reviews have been so great this past week! Keep 'em coming!


Chapter 18 – Changes

Dagon sent one of his servants to pack the belongings my room held – none of them were my own, of course, but it was insisted that I take them as they were bought for me in the prospect of me choosing a transformation… albeit with Dagon rather than the Cullens, but I supposed this was to prove that Dagon had no hard feelings.

As I was being packed up, Edward took me to say goodbye to my ex-kidnapper turned host. It truly was an odd situation, but Edward assured me that he would explain once we were on our way to Forks.

In truth I was anxious to be gone from the place… my mind still seemed fuzzy and jumbled. Things felt strange…people felt strange… I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Once loaded into Edward's Volvo, Edward driving, Jasper 'guarding me' in the back seat, we were off.

I had so many questions I really didn't know where to begin. I closed my eyes trying to make sense of everything.

"It will come in time, Bella,' Jasper said, his voice low but still audible, 'it always seems fuzzy at the beginning."

"Thank you, Jasper… I'm sure I'll get the hang of this eventually." I said to him, my ruby eyes meeting his topaz ones.

I was surprised by the frown that crossed his face as well as the identical one on Edwards as he turned around to face me.

"What?" I asked, I could feel confusion radiating from Jasper… and I could plainly see it on Edward's angelic face.

Jasper spoke first. "I didn't say that out loud, Bella… but you answered…" his confusion slowly disappearing into a wide grin.

"Well, I guess we know what your ability is, then don't we?" Edward remarked, his lips spreading into a tight smile… he held the expression for a while and eventually began to frown again.

"Can't you hear me?" he asked, looking at me through the rear view mirror.

I frowned slightly and shook my head.

"Hmm, maybe she just needs a few days to develop it, don't worry, Edward..try to read her…" Jasper said.

I looked at Jasper, "What do you mean read me? Like… read my mind? I thought he couldn't…" I said.

Now the look on Jasper's face was golden… utter surprise and slightly…smug?

"Nothing… as closed as ever…" Edward muttered from the front seat…

"Don't feel like that Edward, please, I'm not trying to annoy you, neither is Jasper…" I pleaded.

Jasper's wide grin was back… "You're an empath, too?! This just gets better and better!"

"Empath… like you?" I asked, uncertain how I would know, but not saying so out loud… better not to look too stupid, I thought.

"You're not going to look stupid, Bella, it took me a while to figure out just how I was reading other's feelings … it's not as concrete as, say reading minds…" Jasper laughed… his lips moved with his voice this time, so I know he was speaking aloud.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" I asked, certain I had not said any of that out loud.

Jasper frowned. "Wait, what?"

Jasper and I just continued to stare at one another. Finally he broke the silence… "Think something, Bella…think loud."

I closed my eyes, clamped my mouth shut and thought hard… "Purple roses are my favorite!"

I opened my eyes to judge the reaction on his face.

"I would never have pegged you for roses… purple, yes, roses, no." He grinned foolishly.

My mouth dropped open… "You can hear me?" I asked aloud.

Jasper nodded slowly. The waves of jealousy and indignation rolled off of Edward in great waves.

"Edward, chill… it's not anyone's fault she can do what she can… I know you're peeved, but seriously… if she's an empath too, we are only going to magnify what you're feeling and send it out… not a good thing. Now you have me times two… reign in those emotions." Jasper thought.

Edward and I both heard him, but fortunately, Edward's feelings backed off some, and dulled to a generally sour mood.

"He's always been a little moody, you'll get used to it…" Jasper thought at me.

I smiled, but fought the urge to giggle… I didn't want Edward's sourness to turn to true anger.

"Jasper, how will I know if I really am an empath… or if I'm just garnering the extra run-off from you as usual?" I asked timidly.

"Hmm… Edward… do you think you can manage a really strong emotion right now? Something really out of place?" Jasper directed to him.

Edward looked back at him once and nodded.

"Okay, pull over… I'm going to run several miles away… far enough to not feel either of you… and then you let loose on that emotion, got it?" Jasper directed and Edward did as he asked.

I sat in the car and watched Jasper break into a run and head into the woods… "Alright… I can't feel either of you now… go." He said inside my head, though it felt as if he were in a long tunnel shouting from the other darkened end.

I looked at Edward in the rear view mirror and waited… just when I was about to give in and try to tell Jasper to come back, I felt it.

Murderous rage… I felt like tearing apart everything in sight… it took everything I had not to shred the seats as I stepped out of the car.

I turned to Edward, I was really going to let him have it now… about what I was completely unsure… but it didn't seem to matter… he stepped out of the car to face me… and suddenly the anger faded, just as quickly as it had begun.

I gasped. "Alright,' Edward said, his face stone still, his eyes gave away nothing, 'what emotion did I send?"

"Rage… incredible… seething, black rage…" I said, my voice trembling from remembering the taste of it.

Edward smiled that beautiful crooked smile of his, yet it did not reach his eyes. I was sure he was about to tell me I was absolutely wrong… then I felt him… holding back an emotion as best he could… but it seeped through and radiated toward me… jealousy.

"Correct." He said and moved to get back in the car. He had almost made it when he saw me tense.

I looked off toward the wooded area we had stopped in… the only safe place Jasper could have run off in and not be noticed for what he was.

Without knowing exactly what was happening or why I suddenly found myself moving through the trees at lightning speed. I looked around for Edward, but he was nowhere to be seen… it was me running this fast. And to where, I had no idea.

All at once it was as if I was out of my head… I was vaguely aware that I was alive and present in my new body, but what was more interesting than the dream-like state I had come to be in was the incredible taste that was filling my mouth; sweet warm liquid running down my throat, filling my stomach, rushing through my veins. I could feel it strengthening me, it was like liquid power. The flow tapered, slowly at first and then…nothing- the fount had run dry and I was aware of… screaming.

I looked around and saw a man behind me… he was looking past me, pointing and screaming, his eyes wide with terror, his mouth forming a perfect 'O'. I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw nothing… wondering if perhaps he had seen Edward or Jasper who might have followed me.

After a second longer I realized, he was not looking past me, but at me. I frowned… when I had checked my appearance before we left I had looked fine… better than when I was a human… and then, I looked down.

My eyes widened; there at my feet was another man in his early fifties or so… but pale… he looked as if he'd been drained of blood. My stomach turned as I realized that that is exactly what had happened. It was my fault.

Fear flooded my body; I turned walking toward the man, the wind blowing my hair in front of my face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" I said over and over… I was horrified at what I'd done. And then, the wind changed direction.

It blew right into my face and I was 'dreaming' again… once more sucked into the sweet flavor I had experienced only a moment before, but this time slightly different. Again I drank, letting the nectar run freely down my throat until again it ran dry. I pulled away from my ecstatic experience, this time slightly aware that I had something in my arms.

Before I could look down to see what I so dearly held, I saw Jasper and Edward standing before me, their eyes pitying and kind… Jasper was biting his bottom lip… I could feel the pity rolling off of them more easily than I could see it… but it was unmistakable.

I decided then not to look down. Jasper came slowly over to me and took the light burden from my arms and disappeared quickly into the forest, coming back just as fast as he'd gone.

Edward held out his hand to me and led me back to the car. I climbed into the back seat again and sat there, unable to look at either of them, ashamed of what I'd done, but wanting to scream apologies that I knew would not matter; the deed was done, there was no undoing it.

"Bella, you went on instinct… it's alright, it happens to all of us from time to time… it's not like you could control it, believe me." Jasper said, I dared a brief glance at his face and understood that his lips weren't moving.

"But Jasper,' I thought back, 'they were human… I just murdered two innocent humans… "

"Really, Bella… it is alright. I'm not saying you didn't make a mistake, but you're a newborn vampire; it's going to happen. I've been a vampire for over a century and it still happens occasionally to me… it's not a good feeling, but you'll learn to be more careful and you'll eventually learn your limits. As it is I'm still learning mine… everything will get better with time, and no one in our family will ever, ever disparage you for it… not now, not for future slip-ups…never. It happens to all of us…save Carlisle." He thought back to me.

I looked toward Edward, his slightly peeved look had returned, but he was doing quite well at keeping his emotions perfectly neutral… I believed Jasper about hunting the humans, so I knew he was not upset about that… I suspected that Edward was still slightly miffed that Jasper could read my mind so easily, while he, the mind reader of the family… could not.

A/N: Aww, poor Eddie... anyhow, I read a story this past week about an empathetic psychic vampire and he was actually overloaded by another empath. Without retelling the whole thing I designed the concept something like this equation:

Sender/Empath + Receiver/Empath = communicative telepathy

(like I have a walkie-talkie and you have a walkie-talkie and if we happen to be on the same channel, we can talk to each other.)

To avoid confusion: No, Edward cannot hear or be heard by Bella in her head because he's on a 'different channel' - the only reason she and Jasper can communicate is because they share a channel. Bella's empathy is not as strong as Jasper's yet, and it doesn't help that Jasper often just leaks what he gets anyway so she notices her ability less when he is around.

Let me know what you think!