Here is the 5th chapter. Hope you guys enjoy ;).
Monday through Wednesday flew by pretty fast. I couldn't quite remember what was talked about during class but I'm sure it wasn't anything I hadn't learned before. However, now Thursday afternoon, I began feeling excited and anxious. Today after school was going to be my first day helping Carlisle at the hospital. The past few days, he had been doing large operations and, seeing as that involved large amounts of blood, he didn't think that would be the best idea for my first training. But today I was going to be helping him somehow. I wasn't entirely sure what he would first have me do, but I was preparing myself for anything. If only the school day would end already though... It was almost lunch time, and I had been sitting more on Bella's side of the table than Alice's, as most of the people's first reactions were confusion and envy. As the bell rang for lunch, I quickly exited class, as humanly "fast" as possible at least, and got to the lunchroom in no time. Casually moving to where Bella and her friends generally sat, I sat down, as people began coming in, and the lunchroom was packed within five minutes. As Bella sat down with her food, I smiled, holding her hand under the table.
One of her friends, a blonde haired boy, sat down, across from us. Mike I believe his name was. Two girls followed suit not long after, one short, about Bella's height, having dark brown hair and blue eyes, the other close to my height, with light brown hair that matched her eyes. Edward and Alice soon sat down as well. Although I had been trying to hunt a bit this week, it was still a tad bit of a strain being so close to all these humans during the school day. I'd probably go hunting before I went to the hospital.
"So?" Alice chimed happily. "What is everyone doing this weekend?"
"I was thinking about maybe going to Seattle or something." the short girl said nonchalantly. Had she not heard about all the killings that were happening there? Was she trying to make this Mike guy be protective of her? Well whether or not that was her intention, it did make him become nervous.
"Jessica!" he exclaimed. "C'mon! Haven't you heard about all those gang fights or whatever that's going on?"
"Oh right." she answered. "But didn't they say it was some sort of serial killer?"
"They aren't sure what it is." Edward answered a bit coldly. "No one knows." Yeah, no one knows, except our family. Edward gave me a quick glance, much to fast for any of these humans to notice, before moving what little food he had on his plate around with a fork.
"Hey Ed..." Mike asked mouth full of food. "You going to eat that food or just move it around?"
"You can have it." he replied, pushing it over to him. Just about then, another guy, with black hair and dark eyes, sat down next to the tall girl.
"What's everyone talking about?" he asked, a smile on his face.
"Weekend plans." Alice smiled, reminding us what she had initially asked us. "I agree with Mike on not going to Seattle... but how about we go to Port Angeles or something? See a movie?" Was she trying to get a group date thing together? A soft cough from Edward answered my question. I didn't know what to think. Bella's fingers suddenly began tracing around my palm, as I took the hint.
"I'd love to see a movie." I replied. "Would you want to go see a movie Bella?"
"Sure, I'm not busy this weekend." she softly answered, smiling.
"Alright, so Mike...How about you and Jessica come along as well?" I asked Mike, as surprise and confusion came off him. I guess he didn't realize I knew their names.
"I'm working Saturday..." he replied, seeming to pay close attention to how Jessica was reacting. "But if tomorrow isn't too quick notice..."
"I'm free tomorrow." Jessica eagerly answered.
"As am I." I answered as well. It would make it quite obvious to the students here that Bella and I had in fact begun dating now, as it was clearly obvious that Mike and Jessica liked each other as well. I didn't even need my ability to tell that. This would also give me an excuse to go over to Bella's house. I could talk with her dad, discuss different guns or whatnot, and then go off to the movies, driving Bella in... Oh crap, I didn't actually have my own car... No way would I drive Alice's Porsche. That car just screamed girly... Carlisle would probably be at the hospital, so I couldn't use his Mercedes... Definitely not the Jeep. I wanted something classy. Something that reflected me. The Jeep was loud, big, and lacked class entirely, much like its owner. If I was going to drive Bella to the movies it would either be in the Volvo or the BMW. The Volvo was a nice car, but it was Edward's. I'd already done enough taking Bella from him; I couldn't take his car as well. Plus, if Charlie saw the Volvo, he'd instantly think Edward and put up his guard. Rosalie's Red BMW was a tad bit of a girl car, but it was a cool car to ride nonetheless. Rosalie wasn't doing anything tomorrow; I could just drive the BMW.
For the remainder of lunch, we talked about what movie we would see, what time we would see it and where we would meet up. Several times, a part of me felt as if Edward wanted to join in and come with someone but he never seemed to respond or seem to acknowledge my thoughts. Once lunch was over, I collected my things and began walking out when a soft hand, one that was the same temperature as mine, tapped my shoulder.
"What is it Alice? "I quietly asked, turning around.
"Carlisle... he's coming to the school now so don't even bother going to class."
"Thanks." I smiled excitedly. I was finally going to start my training with him. My mind began wondering what he would have me help with first. When I stopped to think about it however I was at a loss of words. What exactly would he have me do? What did interns at the hospital do? Would he have me interacting with staff? Would he be leaving me alone with patients? That thought right there made me a bit nervous. Was I ready to be left alone with a human all by myself? The only human I had ever been alone with was Bella and she knew about us. She could judge when she was in danger. Would someone who didn't know about us have the same instinct? What if they were too sick to defend themselves? As I walked into the main office, I sat down on a chair as I looked at the receptionist.
"Jasper Hale." I replied. "One of Carlisle's kids. He's picking me up early."
"Do you have a note?" she timidly asked, a soft pool of blood rushing to her cheeks. The vampire equivalent of a stomach growl brushed over me as I could hear her soft steady heart beat just a bit faster. Closing my eyes and shaking my head, I resisted the urge to look back at her, knowing me looking at her would only make her heart beat faster.
"No." I softly answered. "But he'll be here soon." As her heart beat increased slightly, I regretted mentioning the latter. Or perhaps this could be my time to start building control. Edward and Alice were still here at school and if I needed help they would be able to come, unlike Carlisle, who could only help if I shouted for him. Taking a soft quick whiff of the room, I softly bit my lip as I sat up straighter. Looking over towards her, I could sense she wanted to say something but was too shy to. "I'm going to start interning at the hospital." I explained.
"Ah... you're interested in becoming a doctor like your father?" excitement radiated out of her upon saying 'father' as I pushed out relaxing energy, trying to slow down her heartbeat. I was quite surprised however when it actually seemed to work. That was actually a lot easier to deal with. Taking a breath in however, I felt not so sure again, as the sweet smell of her blood tempted me from just below the tissue paper thin barrier that was her skin. The door quickly opened however, and doing a quick glance, I was relieved to see it was Carlisle. "Ah... Doctor Cullen." the receptionist smiled. "Me and your son here were just talking about you."
"Just tell me where to sign." he smiled happily. As he walked up to her, her heart beat faster, as a blush came across her face. Slowly standing up, I came over to Carlisle, backpack slung over shoulder. As soon as he signed, we exited out the door he had just come from, into the school parking lot. Walking across the parking lot, we quickly went over to Carlisle's Mercedes. "Today has seemed to be a relatively slow day, so I'm probably going to have you help me with simple nursing type of stuff." Getting into the car and buckling, we quickly headed out. "I know the things I give you might seem trivial and irrelevant to training but just trust in me, alright Jasper?"
"Alright." I nodded with a soft almost hidden smile.
"And don't think that I'm keeping you away from blood because I don't trust you or that I feel bad for you." he further elaborated. "I am simply doing what I did to train myself. Seeing as you had a non-vegetarian diet for quite a bit of your life though, this will be quite interesting." I could tell he was trying to keep his mood light, to not make me think that he pitied me. I knew he didn't. I knew no one really pitied me after what I had just done the past weekend. But it was still nice of Carlisle to try and keep his mood optimistic. I needed to be more like him. If I trusted myself, perhaps I really could control myself as well as Carlisle.
We both got out of the car and walked into the hospital, the smell of Latex and rubbing alcohol the most prominent smells. Glancing over towards him, I could tell he realized I noticed. "No need to create added stress for you." he spoke only loud enough for one of our kind to hear. Stress? What was he talking about. Breathing out, I let out a sigh I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I guess I was more nervous about this than I had lead myself to believe. I just needed to relax and trust in myself. Moving his hand, Carlisle pat me on the back, rubbing his hand in circles.
"Hello Samantha." Carlisle suddenly replied, as a nurse came walking up to us. "This is Jasper. He's the son I told you about. I was thinking he could help you with the patient in room 209... Mrs. Abelia if I'm not mistaken. Have him help with the basics I taught you."This nurse, Jessica, looked just a bit older than I looked. She had short shoulder length dirty blonde hair with soft hazel eyes.
Instantly my mind began wondering who this "Mrs. Abelia" was and how helping this nurse "Samantha" was going to help me control myself. Trusting Carlisle though, I smiled and stuck my hand out.
"Pleasure to meet you Samantha." I replied. "Is their anything I should know before heading off to help?" I directed the question to both Carlisle and Samantha.
"Just need to sterilize your hands." Carlisle replied. "If you two need me, I'll be in my office."
As Carlisle walked off, I turned to follow Samantha as we walked into what seemed to be the staff room. Going over to the sink, I washed my hands and rubbed a disinfecting wipe all over my skin, as Samantha handed me Latex gloves.
"You don't need to wear them right now." she told me, picking a pair for herself as well. "But it's always good to have a pair." Walking out into the hallway, yet again, with her, I followed her at a leisurely pace. Man did human's walk slow.
"So you and all your siblings..." she asked. "You're all adopted is that right?"
"Yeah it is." I nodded, knowing the drill. "Me and Rosalie are fraturnal twins... Edward, Emmett, and Alice were just kids my dad adopted as he went. Mrs. Cullen, my mom, can't have kids."
"I get the feeling you get asked that a lot." she laughed, rolling her eyes. Something about her made me relaxed. She wasn't like the people at school. She was curious but didn't seem to be prying too much.
"Really?" I chuckled, "What gave you that idea?" We both laughed as we continued walking until we got to the door marked 209. Breathing in slightly, the first smell, or more lack there of, surprised me. There was a living human no doubt, but whoever this "Mrs. Abelia" was seemed to have a significant deficiency of blood. That and her heart was beating quite slow. Walking into the room, my questions where answered by a small elderly woman laying in the hospital bed. Her eyes were awake but she seemed to be looking elsewhere. Turning to look at us, she began to sit up as her entire frame seemed to tremble.
"Doctor Cullen?" she asked, staring at me.
"No Mrs. Abelia." Samantha corrected. "This is his son, Jasper." It was hard to believe, looking at this elderly lady, that I was in fact older than her. Probably 80 some years ago she was just a child and I had still been alive for more than she had been now. This was my first time for at least a good 50 years being with an elderly human.
"Jasper..." she pondered on the name. "Are you from the south darling?" A huge smile spread across my lips. I'd recognize that southern dialect anywhere. She was a fellow Texan.
"Yes ma'am." I answered respectfully, her eyes lighting up. "From Texas." Moving over to her, I took a seat in a chair next to her bed as I looked into her eyes. "Carlisle adopted me." I elaborated.
"Well not to be rude..." she began saying, confusion her prominent emotion. "But why are you here with my nurse." She let out a soft chuckle, her smile accentuating her many wrinkles. What would I have turned out like if I hadn't been turned?
"He's learning medicine like his father." Samantha explained, walking over to her. "Now are you ready for your daily exercise?" Daily exercise? What exercises could a woman this old and this fragile possibly do. Everything about her said breakable. His arms were bony and frail. Her body was shaking just simply sitting up in bed.
"Yes I am." she smiled, looking from me to Samantha.
"Jasper," Samantha said, getting my attention. "Take her hand and let her use you as support." Standing up, I placed my hand out for her to grab. She reached her hand out and laid it on mine as I suddenly felt even stronger than I normally felt. She was even more fragile than Bella or any other human, for that matter, that I had met. She gripped my hand and scooting to the edge of the bed, first planted her feet on the floor. Beginning to lean forward, she managed to get her hips up and off the bed, as she stood still for what felt like forever. Finally, she began slowly taking steps, as I kept my arm in place and aided her. Feeling a strange urge to help support her even more, I took my other hand and placed it on top of the hand that she was holding onto with.
"You're doing really well ma'am." I complimented, feeling that she was a tad bit frustrated.
"Thank you Jasper." she replied. She was slowly getting tired as I became curious about something. Rubbing her hand, I began sending out short soft bits of "alert and energetic" emotions. Was it a mistake to do so? Suddenly I felt her heart seem to be a bit stronger as she began moving a tad bit steadier. She wasn't going incredibly fast but with my keen vampire senses I could tell I was having an effect on her. Thankfully I had also done it just subtly enough that she didn't seem to notice it that much. Part of me told me to keep helping her but I decided against it. She was doing just fine by herself and I didn't want her to develop a dependance. After walking her around the room a few times, Sam nodded at me and I helped her back into bed.
"I'm sorry but I can't have you lay down just yet." Sam sighed. "Jasper, help her stay propped up. I'm going to listen to her heart and breathing." Taking out a stethascope, she pushed up the back of Mrs. Abelia's shirt as she placed it at odd places along her back. I didn't need to use a stethascope however to hear her vitals. My highly developed hearing allowed me to listen to her slow metranomic heartbeat as well as her soft gentle breathing. "There we go." she smiled as she finished and pulled the stethascope out. "You can lay her down." Gently guiding her down, I looked into her eyes and saw that they were in fact a beautiful blue. What color had my eyes been when I was human? Part of me wanted to say blue. This beautiful blue color.
"So where in Texas did you live in?" I asked, sitting down yet again.
"A bit outside of Houston." she yawned. "And you?" Should I say the same? It would be true. But would she inquire where? Was it called something different now? It had been forever since I'd been to Texas.
"Outer parts of Houston." I answered. That wasn't totally lying. Honestly I couldn't remember the name of my hometown now. It was near Houston though.
"Beatiful place isn't it?" she replied. "A lot different from here. Not that here isn't beautiful. I absolutely love the scenary here in Forks." It was quite beautiful. Maybe when the weather got warmer, I could take this patient out on a nature trip, with Carlisle's permission of course.
"I'm sorry Agatha but me and Jasper have to go now." Sam replied. "He'll be here next week though." Getting up and walking out of the room, I followed Sam as I wondered where our next stop was. "I know your dad just said to help with Agatha back there but would you mind helping with some feedings? We've already got milk pumped we just hardly have any people to help feed the newborns." Upon hearing the word newborns my body tensed up instinctively. However when we walked by the looking glass I couldn't say no.
"Sure." I smiled, as we walked into the room filled with babies.
"Hello Jasper." I suddenly heard Carlisle say. "You here to help us feed some little ones?"
"That I am." I responded with a nod as I saw him walk past me, a smile on his face.
"Everything go alright with Mrs. Abelia?" he inquired, a slight chuckle in his voice.
"Uh huh." I nodded. As I looked around, I couldn't help but feel warm inside seeing all the sleeping babies. They all gave of a soft gentle peaceful vibe that made me feel at ease. However, there seemed to be one child who seemed upset. Walking over, I saw a little baby wrapped in a pink blanket as I looked at her wristband. Nadia was her name. But what could be wrong.
"Is everything alright Carlisle?" I asked only loud enough for him to hear. "This one seems scared."
"Go on Jasper," he encouraged. "She's probably hungry." Looking at him I exchanged looks from him to the baby, not entirely sure of how to properly feed this infant. Moving to where I was, he moved his arms to softly lift the baby, using one arm to support the head and the other arm to support the body. "Sit down and I'll hand her to you and give you her bottle. Sitting down in the closest chair, I mimicked how his arms were as he gently laid her down into my arms. Handing me a bottle I took it and bringing the bottle to her mouth, she instantly began sucking.
"Just make sure you keep the bottle tilted so that she doesn't swallow air." Carlisle instructed. "You can put her back in her crib when she either finishes her bottle or stops drinking." Looking down at her, I gently readjusted so that she was resting in the nook of my arm and I could keep her head elevated. Surprisingly, this tiny infant reminded me a lot of the elderly woman I had just been working with. True, these two girls were both at the absolute opposite ends of the age spectrum, but they were both light and weak and fragile. They were both so brittle and gave off the same vibe. They both needed protecting. She still seemed scared however. What was she scared of? Scared of being alone? I was here holding her. Was she scared of me? I hoped that wasn't the reason. Sending out relaxing vibes, she relaxed in my arms. She looked so innocent, so peaceful. I could understand why Rosalie wanted to have a baby. Maybe she'd enjoy coming in here and feeding some of these babies. However, I could also see it being difficult for her, knowing that she couldn't have any of these babies. Maybe what her and Emmett should do is adopt a baby. However, I also felt that would be against the Volturi rules. No revealing yourself to a human without intending on either eating them or turning them. If the kid eventually wanted to be turned that would be alright, but it would become problematic if they ended up not wanting to be turned.
Glancing down, I saw Nadia had significantly slowed down on her bottle and her face seemed relaxed. She gave off a soft little bit of warmth as I stopped for a moment and listened to her. Her heart was faster than a normal humans, yet it was somehow weaker. Perhaps because she didn't have a whole lot of blood to circulate, her heart made it go faster. Oh man... I shouldn't have thought about blood. I had meant to go hunting before coming here but hadn't gotten the time. Why hadn't I said something to Carlisle? Suddenly, I felt Nadia begin squirming. Her pulse increased slightly. Was she absorbing my anxiety? Breathing through my mouth, I closed my eyes and tried to relax. Sending out relaxing vibes, her heart beat slowed a bit as I slowly stood up and walked over to her crib. Gently placing her down into the crib, I looked around to make sure all the babies were relaxed as well. All the other children seemed to be alright so, standing up, I smelled the air and tried to locate Carlisle. He had left through the back door so it would probably be smart of me to go that direction. Quickly making it over to the door, I opened it and went through it, finding myself in an empty hallway. Smelling the air, I picked up Carlisle's scent and followed it. When I found him, I quickly whispered that I hadn't gone hunting in a while and his eyes opened in realization and he softly nodded his head.
"Go." he replied, only loud enough for me to hear, as I made my way out of the hospital.
Thankfully, just as I had gotten to the wood line, I heard an ambulance blare by the hospital, as I figured I'd better not stick around and see if it was some sort of bloody injury. Dashing into the woods, I tried to remember where my favorite hunting spots were. Perhaps today I could change things up a bit. Go somewhere different for a change. Not feeling like dealing with those stinky mutts, it would be better not to stray east. Maybe I could go farther west. Letting instinct take over, I dashed through the woods, smelling the air for carnivores. As I dashed, trees flew by me, branches blowing around, rustling dogwood flowers that still clung onto the branches. These flowers sure were pretty. Maybe one day I could go for a walk and collect some flowers for Bella. Did she like flowers? I don't remember her being allergic. I should see what different flowers could be found in this area. Already knew dogwoods and some wild roses. In my free time I could look up different plants.
Getting the scent of what smelled like a grizzly, I charged in its direction. After being surrounded by humans all day, it was nice to go out and just let instinct out. Show that I was a predator and not worry about scaring or harming others. Spotting the grizzly bear, a smirk spread across my face. Diving at it, I easily got it down to the ground. However, due to its sheer size, it did manage to throw me off. Growling at me and charging, I did a couple flips backwards, feeling like toying with it a bit. As it got on its hind legs, I sprung at it, pinning it to the ground and bringing my mouth to its jugular. Sinking my teeth into its neck, I drank up the blood, the rich smooth liquid helping me relax. Bears tasted pretty good. Their blood was thick and rich. Unfortunately I was still a bit thirsty. I smelled the air, trying to pick up on another animal's scent. There was a large herd of deer about a mile away and though they didn't taste the best it was still better than nothing. Jumping back into the trees, I leaped from tree to tree, taking my time, enjoying the spring weather. Seeing the herd, I leaped down and quickly drained three, not realizing I was so thirsty.
Deciding to explore, I leaped up into the closest tree, a cypress, and began leaping up the branches, noticing moss along some other trees. Looking down to the forest floor, I noticed all the ferns. Finishing the next few branches and reaching the canopy of the tree, I glanced around, noticing a decline in elevation to the right about a half mile away. Dashing from tree to tree, a smile spread across my face as I heard the flowing of water. Although I didn't sweat or get 'dirty' like humans did, lately I'd been enjoying going swimming. While it was probably too cold for humans, it felt nice and refreshing for me. Breathing the air to make sure there were no humans near by, I landed on the river bank. Unbuttoning my shirt, I tossed it onto a branch, letting it hang there. Taking my watch off, I placed it in my jeans pocket as I slipped my pants off as well. Slipping off my boxers, I waded into the water, sighing at the refreshing feel. Going into the deeper parts, I sunk down to the bottom, looking around at the fishes. I noticed a large school of trout swimming by. Part of me wished I had something to feed them with.
Sitting down, I closed my eyes and thought. I had all my homework done for this week. The only classes I missed today were gym and English. Tomorrow I was going to officially meet Charlie as Bella's new boyfriend. How could I make my best impression. Remembering the cars, I suddenly got the feeling that the BMW would be a bit too showy. Why didn't I have a car of my own? I could drive. I had a driver's license. I could ask Carlisle if I could borrow his Mercedes. That's what I normally did when I had someplace to go. I really needed my own form of transportation though. Popping up out of the water, I saw the sky was beginning to darken as I quickly got out and went over to my watch.
Looking at my watch, I was surprised to see that it was already 5 o'clock. Less than 24 hours until I would go to Bella's. Maybe I could go over now instead. Would she be upset if I did that? Was she telling her dad about our plans for tomorrow? What if he said no? Grabbing my clothes, I got dressed lightning fast. Pulling out my phone, I looked to see if I had any new texts. Nope. Should I text her? Ask her if she had asked Charlie? I quickly typed up a text message and sent it to her, as I sat down by the river bank. Maybe I should get some food to bring over to their house tomorrow. Flipping out my phone again, I asked if I should also bring some sort of food over. Feeling my phone vibrate, I flipped it open to see a text from Bella.
"Going to talk to Charlie soon. Plan on making some fish tomorrow so some garlic and oregano would go good. If you have any we're also low on eggs." We likely didn't have any of those at our house but it wouldn't hurt to actually stop by a grocery store. It wouldn't kill me to act like I was a normal human.
"Ok." I texted her back, as I stood up and began jogging home. Slowing down and going at human speed, I stopped to admire the feel of the forest. There were so many conifers here. Part of me wondered how old they were. Of everything in this area, these were probably the only living creatures that were older than I was. Giant hemlocks and firs, century old cypresses... How long have they been here? How long did it take for them to get this tall? What could the rings of this tree tell? Were they like my scars? I could certainly tell these trees were old. Is that what my scars made me like? Could others see my age? Others of our kind at least. Smelling the air, I notice there were flowers near by. Following the scent, I found some blooming rhododendrons. Picking off a bunch, I walked even slower, not wanting the flowers to be ruined by my speed. The flowers were a brilliant bunch, white the predominant color but the petals being a slight ting of pink in the center. Remembering my backpack, I unzipped it and put the flower into it. Zipping it shut, I began running back to our house, my mind somehow knowing which way to go.
Getting to our house in only a minute, I went inside as I quickly ran to my room and laid on my couch, taking off my backpack. Man how I wished I could sleep so that it would be tomorrow was times like this I wished I had human qualities. Sleeping must feel so nice. Wait a second, would I need to act even more human tomorrow? It was one thing convincing students your age that you were normal and "just like them" but Charlie would be watching me diligently. He was a police officer. Even if he liked me more than he liked Edward, he still was going to be watching me. It was in his nature. I was Edward's adoptive brother after all. He'd possibly become suspicious if me and Edward, who weren't related, seemed to act unlike the "normal human guy." I knew it would be rude to make human digestive noises, such as burping and farting, but humans made lots bodily noises. How was I going to seem human without having my body make "human noises?" I would have to stop and really listen to all the humans tomorrow during the day. That would be difficult however seeing as listening to humans too closely makes me focus on their heartbeat, focus on their blood. Then Edward would be nervous and doubt me. I needed to control myself. Not because I needed to prove something to him but to show myself that they were wrong, that I could control myself. Remembering the texts I had got from Bella, I went downstairs and quickly looked through the cabinets, searching for garlic or oregano. Thinking of garlic I couldn't help but laugh to myself. A vampire family with garlic? Heaven forbid. Maybe I should just quickly go to the grocery store.
"Any reason you're planning on going grocery shopping?" Alice asked, popping into the kitchen.
"Bella." I simply replied.
"Well duh." she replied, matter-of-factly. "I mean why are you getting food."
"She needs some stuff for dinner tomorrow."
"And you're going to dinner?" I glanced at her and tried to read her emotions. She seemed almost blank. Or more just wasn't feeling anything. Asking to ask. It was confusing.
"Is Carlisle home?" I asked.
"That I am." he replied walking into the kitchen.
"Can I use your car to go to the store?" I quickly asked. "Getting stuff for Bella tomorrow. Also tomorrow when I go to Bella's can I use the car?"
"Yes to now." he nodded, tossing me the keys. "When are you planning on going to her house tomorrow?"
"Around 5." I answered. "That work?" He softly nodded. Going upstairs, I got my wallet and slipped it into my back pocket. I then quickly went to the garage and opened the Mercedes, revving it up and opening the garage door. Driving out to the main road, I started driving into town. Driving past trees I began seeing houses and small buildings. Pulling into the parking lot for the grocery store, I got out, noticing it was softly drizzling. Slowly walking to the front doors, I walked in, an odd feeling coming over me. Although I knew what a grocery store was like, this was my first time actually going into one. Glancing around I saw aisles of different foods. Breakfast foods, sodas, sweets, produce. Oregano and garlic would be in the produce section. I took a shopping basket and walked into the store more. Walking to the produce section, I looked around, noticing different vegetables. Avocados, tomatoes, celery, carrots... Seeing a wall with what looked like spices, I walked over and scanned slowly through the different herbs. Cilantro, rosemary, basil, parsley... Then I saw oregano and a short bit later garlic. Taking a few cloves of garlic I placed them into the basket. Grabbing the oregano as well, I got a bunch of it and placed it around, I noticed there were a few people shopping in the produce area. Part of me was tempted to try and talk to someone, to practice having conversations. Would someone find it weird that a Cullen was talking to them. Everyone in town knew who we were and knew we hardly ever talked to others. Curiosity seemed to be surrounding one person in particular, a girl I felt I had seen at school. Her attention seemed to be directed towards me. Would she be weirded out if I talked to her? I didn't want to give this girl mixed signals either. Walking towards her I placed my hand on a shelf, tapping it, pretending to be thinking about something. That seemed human right?
"Hey." she replied, walking over to me smiling. "You need help finding something?"
"Oh no I'm fine." I replied. "Was just thinking about stuff. Do I have a class with you?"
"Yeah." she chimed happily. "English." Oh... maybe this could work. I had missed English today, perhaps I could ask her what we went over.
"I had to leave early to help my dad." I replied back. "What did we talk about?"
"We went through the first few scenes of The Scottish Play." she replied, softly chuckling and blushing. So she was a thespian?
"Oh you mean Macbeth?" I corrected her.
"That's what I said, the Scottish play." she continued, rolling her eyes.
"So have we gotten to when the king confronts the witches?" I smiled to her, showing her that I knew the play quite well.
"Yes..." she replied getting excited. "You know of the play?" Know of it? I'd read every play at least 20 times.
"I've read a few in my spare time." I replied modestly.
"Which is your favorite play?" she inquired, her mood happy and warm.
"As goofy as it may sound." I began, preparing for her to laugh. "Midsummer Night's Dream. Puck is quite an interesting fellow."
"That's not goofy." she retorted. "It's an interesting story. And Puck is a mischievous fellow. I love the ending poem."
"Well it was nice talking to you but I need to get some eggs." I concluded, not wanting to test my restraint too much. "See you in English..."
"Jenny." she finished with a smile. "You too Jasper. Eggs are past the meat section on the other side of the store."
"Thanks." Walking around, I noticed the meat section as I instinctively held my breath. Even without smelling though, simply seeing all the red meat made my body start to react. Closing my eyes I tried to focus on something else. The woods. Forest. Nature. Green. My thirst began to diminish as I opened my eyes again and saw the refrigerated section. Walking over to it, I took a quiet but deep breath, thankful that I was away from the blood. Noticing the eggs, I grabbed a carton and placed it in my basket with the other groceries.
Walking to the front of the store, I went through the checkout and got back in my car, sitting in it for a moment. I couldn't stay here too long because of the eggs but I didn't want to go home just yet. Part of me wanted to drive over to Bella's and see her. But the logical side told me to wait, go home and pass my time in some way. Something about her made me relax though. Unlike anyone I'd been with. She made me feel confident in myself. She knew what I was and knew I could harm her yet she trusted me. Even Alice doubted me at times. Edward was even more cautious. He was angry but always seemed to be biting his tongue, not saying anything. It frustrated me. He knew all the things I was thinking yet he wouldn't spit out what it was he wanted to say. Keeping me in the dark, trying to have something over me. I understood he was upset but why not let it out? Why not just explode already?
Starting up the car, I began to drive home, trying to calm myself down. Even if he was annoying at the moment I didn't want to start a fight, as it would likely end badly. Even if I won, I would look like a monster, even to people who understood what being like this was like. I needed to relax and calm down. Tomorrow I would meet Bella. However a question suddenly dawned on me that I was beginning to realize. What was going to happen as me and Bella became more serious? I was attracted to her now, as a human, but she had let us know she wanted to be a vampire. I could control myself to be around her but what would happen with me and her after a few months? Would she be turned? Would I still want her? Would she still want me? And would a fight break out between me and Edward? So many questions, so little answers. I guess only time would tell.
A/C: Yes, I did just leave this with so many questions. Questions that I promise you will be answered... but all in due time. I have a few questions for you however content wise. One thing I've been struggling with that I'm not sure how to incorporate is Bella seeing Jacob. I know in Eclipse (when this is taking place) she sees him a lot and is competing over him and Edward but I'm thinking of having her approach him a little different in this. She's definitely more attached to Jasper than she was to Edward in Eclipse in my book. Additionally (something that I talk about in this chapter) what do you guys think Jasper should drive? I'm open to all sorts of cars. Just try and be specific.