Alice

Alice woke to the shrill sound of her phone ringing. Her head, hands and body were all shaking as she looked around for her phone. It had been three days, three fucking days, and she was starting to break down. She'd taken all three days off work, not because she was traumatized that she'd been attacked, but worried that she'd rip open some poor person and drink all their blood until there was nothing left.

Finally finding it, she answered it on the last ring. "Hello?" she greeted shakily.

"Hey," a familiar voice rumbled on the other line. "It's Jasper, remember?" he asked politely. "I'm calling about the attack… Look, we examined the weapon thoroughly and well, we didn't find any prints. Claire's story hasn't changed and no one's accusing you of anything, I promise, I'm just calling to ask if you know of anything that could help us find him."

"Well his brother is a registered vampire, I know that…" Alice said after searching her jumbled thoughts for a moment.

"Alice, Laurent White is a registered vampire in Canada. He has no clue who James is. It was a lie," Jasper sighed sadly. "He didn't get the virus from him either. What he told three nights ago was a lie. We found a vampire dead, his wrists and throat cut. There was other blood around him, but it's useless now that James's blood has been tainted by the virus."

"How do you know it was James that killed him?" Alice asked shakily. James was just some scrawny, psychotic human, he couldn't overpower a vampire. Vampires weren't gods like some movies portrayed them to be, but they certainly were much stronger than humans.

"It's just a theory, but there was a piece of torn shirt found at the scene that Claire identified as a piece of the shirt James was wearing the night of the attack," Jasper explained. "But that's probably how he got the virus. We just have to hope he isn't one of the one in a million who survive the virus without medical aid." Jasper said sadly.

"Yeah," Alice said quietly. "Jasper, can I ask you something, and have you promise to keep it completely between us?" she started after a moment.

"Well, Alice, I'm a police officer, I can't just keep stuff from the chief…" Jasper said awkwardly. "Is it something about the case?"

Alice sighed. "No, not really." She ran her fingers through her hair nervously. "Do you know… If a vampire tried human blood… How long would it take for them to lose the cravings?"

She could practically hear Jasper tense up. "I'm going to come over, okay?" he said quietly. "We should talk about it in person." He hung up the phone before Alice could say anything.

Alice yawned, feeling the affects of the lack of sleep her cravings had caused. A loud knock on her door made her jump and it rang through her head like a bullet. "Fuck, is this what being hung-over feels like?" she grumbled, opening the door. "Hey Jasper," she greeted him with a weak smile.

"Do you know anything?" he hissed angrily. "You don't ever talk about human blood on the phone, don't you fucking know that?" He walked towards her and put his arms on her shoulders. "The HVA taps calls, they send Addicts to the Volturi, to the old man, don't you know you're never, ever supposed to mention human blood." Jasper was snarling at this point.

On rare occasions, vampires became much more primal than humans. They could make purring noises, growl quietly and snarl when provoked. They were the predator-evolution of humans. Of course, in order to keep them from overtaking the humans, to keep them from getting to arrogant, too ambitious, too power hungry, the Human Vampire Alliance or HVA was formed. They kept human and vampire rights corresponding and let no race have more power. Alice had no idea what the Volturi was though.

"Jasper, calm down," Alice said nervously. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I'm not a cop, I'm not an addict, I've never been subjected to learning about any of that kind of stuff," Alice explained.

"Are you saying I'm an addict?" Jasper practically roared. "I've been clean for three months now, I'm not going to the fucking Volturi, they can't have me, I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Jasper, I mean you're a cop," Alice said, now truly frightened. "You know all this terminology because you learn about it in the academy. I never accused you of drinking human blood." Jasper shook his head, his whole body shaking. "Sit down Jasper," Alice requested nervously. Jasper took his seat on her couch and rested his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I've just found this perfect life. A new boyfriend, I've been a cop for a year now, and the chief's given me this fucking crazy case instead of boring street working and stuff. I can't go to the Volturi. They'll send me there if they think the call is suspicious, I know it."

"Jasper, calm down," Alice said soothingly. "I've heard some addicts experience extreme paranoia when they're quitting. Perhaps you're just over thinking this. What is the Volturi?"

Jasper looked away. "Vampires are permanently damaged after they've had human blood, you know? Most still need to drink it just to think straight, to function normally. I've been trying to live without it, I really have been. But as you can see, my emotions are… They're intense. I can't control them." He shook his head. "The Volturi is like vampire rehab, only they're there forever. It's torturous. Most vampires don't survive it. They're kept in a room unrestrained and the more insane ones attack each other. The ones who do survive wish they were dead. I've seen it… That's why I'm trying to stop drinking human blood."

"Permanently damaged?" Alice stuttered. "Even if you've only had it once?"

Jasper looked up at her. "I can tell when someone's craving it, you know. You don't crave it unless you've had it, but once you've tasted it, you always want it. The taste of human blood… it's indescribable. And the power you feel after you've had it. The energy. You've felt it, haven't you? That's how you beat up James so bad. The blood charged you up, and in that time you just…" Jasper snapped his fingers.

Alice began to shake. "You're saying if I don't drink human blood, I'll go insane?" she whispered.

"Am I insane?" Jasper asked humorlessly. "Yes, if loss of emotional control is your definition of insanity, then yes, you'll probably be insane. Look at how much you're shaking, I can see it from here. You're scared to go out, aren't you? You're scared you'll hurt somebody."

Alice nodded. "You want more blood, don't you?" Jasper asked sympathetically. "You want little Claire's blood. You want any girls' blood. You can smell the men, oh, you can smell the men, but you know that the blood of women is a hundred times more alluring, a thousand times better."

Alice nodded again, the temptation to get even just one more drop of human blood was too much to endure. "I know a girl," Jasper started. "You can't tell anyone this, you can't tell anyone about her, you can't tell anyone I told you about her." Alice stared at him mutely. "I'll take that as a yes. Her name is Bella, she's a freshman in college. Her dad is my boss, he doesn't know she's paying her college tuition with money from mostly selling her blood." Jasper shook his head. "She's pretty exclusive, she'll take one or two clients at a time and she sees them every day to ensure they don't go insane when they feed."

"Why so few clients?" Alice asked suspiciously. She wasn't sure if she could trust Jasper. He was pretty unstable and he was a cop. He was supposed to be arresting Alice, not referring her to a Dealer.

"She's expensive," Jasper explained. "Her blood is clean, it's rare, it's delicious. She used to deal to both men and women, but after some incident, she only takes female clients." He shrugged. "Openings are fairly frequent with her, most addicts get caught if they're not careful. Most addicts are stupid." He pulled out a piece of paper and wrote a number on it. "You look like you could probably use a hit soon," he said, glancing at Alice. "I'll call her and tell her to come over. Do you have any Hemo X?"

Hemo X was essentially vampire Splenda. It was supposed to taste similar to human blood, enough to chase the cravings for the real thing away. Or at least that was what the ad said. The only thing that could ease Alice's thirst was the real thing. She'd had Hemo at a party once, mixed in with her usual lamb's blood. It made her drink taste like shit, she'd never tried it again.

"No. It won't help, it's nothing like human," Alice said shaking her head.

"I know," Jasper agreed. "They market it as a cure for the cravings, but really it's just a way to catch people trying to recover." He snarled. "I hate the fucking HVA." He shook his head. "The sad thing is, they've been saving all these scientists and geniuses. Rather than catching vampires and torturing them, they could be focusing on actually helping them." He sighed. "I'm going to call Bella over. I'll stay while she gives you a taste to calm you down, because you are going to have trouble controlling yourself around her. She smells divine…" He pulled out his phone. "I'll be back in a moment."

Alice was left to her own devices. She dug her short nails deeply into her knee in a feeble attempt to distract herself from her growing excitement. The blood, the power, the energy. Alice felt her mouth begin to water. She didn't care about this Betty girl… Or was it Bella? She couldn't think. All she wanted was the sweet and potent blood. And she was going to get it! That thought alone made her stand and pace restlessly around the room.

"Hey, if you act all crazy, Bella's not going to let you drink, okay?" Jasper explained to Alice as he saw her well, acting crazy. He had significantly calmed down since his breakdown and now it was his turn to calm Alice. "Once she gives you the blood, I'm leaving. I can't be tempted by any of this. She's my boyfriend's little sister's friend, and if you fucking hurt her I'll come for you, I swear," Jasper warned. "I'll send you straight to the Volturi, to Aro. He pits the craziest vampires against each other and laughs as they rip each other to shreds."

Alice nodded. "I'm not going to hurt Bella, I promise," she said. And she meant it. Jasper's warning inspired a fear that was allowing Alice to think clearer. The mood swings were crazy. Was this what periods were like?

"Okay, good," Jasper said satisfied. "She'll be here in five minutes. I never really paid attention, but I guess she lives pretty close by," he observed, glancing at his watch. "Date with my man tonight, he'll be going vamp soon," Jasper announced with a sad smile. "I want to try to keep him away from all this illegal human blood shit. That's another reason I'm stopping."

Alice nodded. "That's noble of you," she complimented him. Although she wasn't really listening. She could practically feel the beat of Bella's heart as her finely tuned ears heard the scrape of tires on gravel in her driveway. It was calling to her. She could hear the blood moving, running through her veins like water in a river.

Jasper hit the back of her head. "Stop being so psycho," he hissed before opening the door. "Hey Bella!" he exclaimed, pulling the girl into a hug before Alice could even get a good look at her.

"Hi, Jasper!" Bella greeted him, her voice cheery, as if she wasn't about to sell her blood to a stranger. "How've you been?" she asked him politely. Jasper was still obstructing Alice's view.

"Pretty good, Bells, pretty good. Hey, I've gotta get out of here soon, I've got a date tonight and I need to get ready," Jasper explained. "And my friend Alice over here is thirsty as fuck, you know?" He moved out of the way and led Bella over to the couch.

As Alice watched Bella walk towards her sofa, she realized Bella's blood wasn't the only thing she was hungry for. Bella was exactly her type. Just a bit taller, lean but not scrawny. She was pale, but she probably wouldn't be if she didn't sell her blood. Alice was also very partial towards brunettes. Bella was like a gift from some God. Or maybe a devil, Alice wasn't sure.

"H-hey," she stuttered, taking her seat across from Bella. "Sorry for the mess, I'm still trying to get things settled and stuff after…" Alice trailed off, not knowing if Jasper had explained how they had met. Bella showed no signs of understanding. "Well, never mind, it's nothing," Alice dismissed.

Bella giggled. "You're really cute, Alice," she said with a small smile. "Alright, you're thirsty, yes?" Alice nodded. She felt pretty guilty about being so excited for this girl's blood. She was a girl, a person, a human. Not food. She shuddered, feeling far too animalistic for even thinking the way she did.

"Okay, well, I'm going to move into the kitchen for a second. You have paper cups, right?" she asked. Alice nodded. "Okay, good," Bella said. "I'll be right back." With that, she left the room, her little ass swaying with every step.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "You can stop staring at her like a piece of meat now," he grumbled. "If you eat her, I'll kick your ass."

"Which kind of eating?" Alice retorted. "You didn't tell me she was hot!" she hissed.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Hello? Gay." He pointed to himself. "I don't see Bella that way. We're good friends." He shook his head. "It's not even relevant to you, she doesn't date clients, I know people who have asked her out."

Alice sighed disappointedly and reclined in her seat. "Thanks for ruining my hopes and dreams," she grumbled. "Does she have a girlfriend or a boyfriend?"

Jasper shook his head. "Not that I know of," he answered. "And trust me, I would know. Definitely no boyfriends, but she would tell me if she was seeing someone."

"So she's a lesbian?" Alice asked. The promise of blood was beginning to make her act more rationally, she could feel herself relaxing into the conversation. "Because if there's no dick in the pic, I've got this," Alice declared.

Bella came into the room with a curious expression on her face. She held a small Dixie cup in her hand, a shallow stripe of blood staining the bottom. "You've got what?" she asked amusedly.

"Oh, she's talking about what a player she is," Jasper said, rolling his eyes. "Bella, hun, I've got to go, I'm sorry," he apologized. Alice guessed that the smell of blood was too much for him. "I'll catch you later, alright?"

Bella nodded. "See you, Jazz," she said. Jasper let himself out quickly and Alice felt even guiltier for subjecting him to the temptation she was feeling.

"Thank you Bella," she said warmly, taking the cup from Bella's hands. She gazed into the crimson liquid with pure, savage hunger, but briefly wondered if she should drink it in a quick gulp or savor it.

"You should drink it before it clots," Bella suggested. "It'll get all chewy and gross soon. Like spoiled milk." She laughed lightly and Alice could feel herself smiling. The girl's moods were contagious.

Alice pressed the cup to her lips and felt the thick, warm liquid drop into her mouth slowly. It ran over each of her taste buds and slid down Alice's throat. She could taste everything, each bit of plasma, every mineral, every cell. She could taste the fucking color. And what she felt was power. With every little drop that fell from the cup and into her mouth, she could feel herself becoming more powerful, her body becoming energized and her mind becoming clearer.

When she was finished, she set the cup down. She fixed her eyes on Bella, a look of hunger radiating from them. But it wasn't hunger for blood, no, she wanted something else from Bella. Something much more special than blood.

"Alice?" Bella's soft voice broke Alice out of her lust filled thoughts. "You've been staring at me for three minutes now, is everything okay?" she asked. Of course, she was worried Alice had plans to drain her dry. But Alice wouldn't do anything like that, not to Bella. Not to someone so perfect.

"Sorry," Alice said quickly. "My senses are kind of hyperaware. I was just looking around," she lied. But she was sort of telling the truth. Her senses were much stronger now. She was hyper aware of things. She was just extremely hyper aware of the arousal wafting from Bella the longer Alice stared at her. She didn't date clients? She didn't date clients yet.

"You want to go to like a Starbucks or something?" Alice asked politely. "I don't have much human food around here, but I could buy you something to help your blood sugar, and maybe a coffee or something to keep you up, because you look kind of tired."

Bella smiled. "That's very sweet of you, Alice. I'd love to do that. And yes, I'm afraid between studying and giving blood, I'm pretty much tired all the time," Bella said. "I don't think any of my clients have ever offered to take me out somewhere after they drank." Bella grabbed her bag. "You ready to go?"

Alice nodded and walked to the front door, holding it open for Bella. "After you," she said sweetly. She grabbed her white hoodie off the coat rack next to the door and slid it on over her head. White colored things held the best protection from sun damage. Hosts of the vampiric virus were very sensitive to sunlight.

"Thank you, Alice," Bella responded with a soft smile. "Your car or mine?" she asked.

"I'd prefer mine," Alice answered. "I like driving," she explained, unlocking her car and opening the door for Bella. She felt the need to woo Bella as much as possible, to show her she wasn't just some druggie. Because she wasn't. She was Alice, and she needed Bella to know that.

"Jeez, Alice, you're like the sweetest girl I've ever met," Bella complimented her as they drove. "Seriously, you're like…"

Alice shrugged. "You must not know many girls," she said with a wink. "I'm just behaving how I was raised to behave." This was a total lie. Alice had no idea how she was raised. Alice had no idea who fucking raised her to begin with. "I can't imagine anybody treating a pretty thing like you badly," Alice flirted unsubtly.

Bella giggled. "I'm not treated badly, people just don't really take the time to do little things like you do," Bella explained. "It's really nice… that you do them though. It's sweet."

Alice grinned and internally cheered. She totally had Bella. Totally. Now that she had the blood in her system, she was feeling much better. She was feeling amazing, better than usual. She felt confident.

They pulled up to the parking lot in front of the café and walked inside together. "What would you like, Bella?" Alice asked. She pulled out a twenty from her wallet.

Bella's eyes scanned the menu. "I'll have a blueberry muffin…" she requested. "And… A hazelnut coffee." She smiled as Alice slid in front of her to pay. "Thanks," she whispered into her ear.

"Sure," Alice replied. They got Bella's meal and found a secluded spot in the corner. Bella broke off pieces of her muffin and slid them slowly into her mouth. If Alice didn't know any better, she'd say Bella was teasing her.

"What do muffins taste like?" Alice asked curiously. Bella raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't really remember what it's like to eat," Alice explained.

"How old are you?" Bella asked her.

"Um, twenty four, I guess. I was changed five years ago, and I'm physically nineteen, I think. Around nineteen. I don't remember anything from before I changed though," Alice said sadly.

"If you don't mind me asking, why'd you try human?" Bella asked. "Why now? After five years of being clean. I'm assuming this is the first time you've ever really had it, right?"

Alice nodded. "Three days ago I declined a man named James's application to become a vampire. He was mentally unfit, he had no special talents, no needs to become a vampire. He just wanted to." She looked down. "He came to my house, he had a young girl hostage. He told me to drink her blood or he'd kill her."

Bella's eyes widened. "Wow… Alice, I'm so sorry, I had no idea. Are you okay?"

Alice smiled thankfully. "Thanks for worrying about me, I'm fine now, yeah. Jasper came, but by the time he arrived, James had escaped. The weird thing is, they dusted his weapon and couldn't find any prints." She sighed. "I just felt like I was being watched all the time. The cravings weren't helping either."

Bella nodded. "Well, to answer your question about blueberry muffins," Bella started. "They're sweet, like… Well, it's hard to explain." She shrugged, stumped by the idea of describing the taste of food to someone who couldn't remember eating.

Alice nodded. "It's okay," she said with a smile. "Is it good?"

Bella grinned. "Yeah, it's great. Even better because a cute girl got it for me," she replied with a wink. "Thanks Alice."

Alice shook her head. "No, thank you, Bella. You and Jasper kind of saved my ass today. I feel… amazing." Alice breathed.

"Well, Alice, I'm growing rather fond of you, so don't get caught, okay?" Bella requested. Alice nodded. "I'm serious," Bella warned. "I'll die a little inside if you get caught." Bella looked away. "You're the first client I've had that's really treated me like a person."

Alice shrugged. "You are a person. A delicious person, but you're still a person." Alice smiled. "I'll treat you like a person some more if you'd like. Say… Like, tomorrow?"

"Are you asking me out?" Bella teased in mock astonishment. So she had noticed Alice's flirting.

"Yes, I guess I was," Alice replied confidently.

Bella smiled. "Well, in that case, yes, I'll go out with you," she responded, sipping her coffee. She got up. "I need to get ready for class," she explained. Alice followed her swiftly.

Alice pulled into her driveway. "I'll call you tomorrow morning to arrange plans?" Alice suggested smoothly.

Bella nodded. "Sounds good," she agreed. "Hey Alice," she murmured and if Alice hadn't been a vampire, she probably wouldn't have been able to hear her. "Thank you," she said, before getting into her car and driving away.

Alice grinned. Bella was the one for her.

Author's note:

Hey, it's been a little bit. I've had sleeping troubles, but I'm starting to get back on a normal sleep schedule, so that's nice. Okay so, I'm just going to go straight into terminology and assume if you guys like my story, you'll say so, and if you don't, well, you'll say that too. Don't be shy, I like any reviews, even the "UPDATE SOON" ones. ;)

HVA: New Vampire/Human world branch of government that negotiates corresponding human and vampire rights. Stands for Human Vampire Alliance.

Volturi: Human-Blood addict rehab/prison/psych ward. Cruel ass place.

Hemo X: Artificial blood designed to be similar to human blood. Really bait to capture addicts.

Anti Senescence: The Vampirism virus .