Hey guys! So I just edited this part, as I might do with a couple of the other chappies. But whatevs for now :) I hope it was okay! Leave your replies! -Love from Jay.
Michael had Damien in a headlock when Jasper and Maria walked through the wooden double doors on the northern side of the barn. Me, along with all the other newborns, froze. Jasper took in the sight before him, and a small, almost evil smile played over his girlfriend's lips.
"You're not going to finish him, are you?" She asked cooly, the smile growing ever so bigger.
Michael's red eyes stared intently at Maria before he shook his head and let go of his friend.
"No?" Maria's smile faltered.
I saw some of the newborns shift uncomfortably; they know what happened to previous newborns who've disappointed her. No one wanted to feel that wrath.
But Maria just shrugged it off, something almost uncharacteristic. I wanted to search through her thoughts, to find out what's going on in that head of hers, but something pulled me back and I found myself focusing instead on my mind and the thoughts of the newborns around me..
Maria turned back to Jasper, her ivory skin glowing in the moonlight coming through the roof, and grasped one of his hand in both of hers. I could hear faint whispers as she spoke quickly into his ear. I saw her glance around at a couple of newborns, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a few of them bristle nervously. I kept my eyes on her though, waiting for any sign of what she was up to.
I cast a quick look to Damien, who took his spot next to me, rubbing the back of his neck in the process. Michael was smiling, but I could sense his tensity as his eyes once again fell on the couple radiating the power that unnerved everyone in the room.
"Are you ok?" I asked quietly, nudging Damien with my arm.
Damien nodded, turning his crimson colored eyes to stare at me. "Yeah, I'm fine." he said slowly, but I could sense his thought's were filled with worry.
Maria pulled away from Jasper, smiling as he nodded to whatever she had said. She looked once more at all of us, then left the barn.
Michael, Damien, and I intently watched Jasper as he moved around the barn, tapping on the shoulders of a couple of newborns. I felt their worries and excitements spike through their thoughts, but Jasper's gift quickly took the control and calmed them down a bit. One by one they disappeared through the double doors.
Finally, he came over to the three of us.
"I need your assistance." He said.
I swapped a cautious look with my friends before I briefly nodded.
Jasper gestured for us to leave the barn, and we did, quietly following behind him. The others were gathered around in a small circle, whispering to one another.
"Maria wants us to find some new recruits." Jasper said, silencing everyone at once. "There's a town about a hundred miles south. Jackie, sense out anyone with potential," I nodded, "Lure them out by themselves, I'll take care of the rest. And don't draw too much attention to yourselves."
So Maria needed more recruits. Great, like I could handle more newborn vampire thoughts...
I subconsciously watched Damien and Michael talk privately to Jasper, but I wasn't paying too much attention to anything they said. I was flexing my mind, building and rebuilding the weak barriers around my mind. I tried to push the growing headache away, as well as the whispering foreign thoughts that drifted in and out of my conscience.
I suddenly felt… anxious. I knew my barriers wouldn't hold, and what if that distracted me from our mission?
Jasper seemed to sense my nervousness because he turned back to me, an almost annoyed expression passing over his face. I took in a deep, lingering breath -even though I didn't need one, to try and calm my thoughts. Whatever happens, happens. I could get through this.
We started off without him speaking to me, but I could still tell he was annoyed with my anxiety.
We ran south, all of us following Jasper as he led the way. We weaved in and out of trees, through hills, and one time over a creek. I let my mind expand and slowly absorb my surroundings, picking up the thoughts of the small group of newborns. As time passed, pinpricks of minds were slowly creeping closer, and as we neared the small town, I was finally able to separate each individual's thoughts.
I skidded to a halt, upheaving crunchy brown leaves. My anxiety was finally overtaking me.
It felt like someone uprooted a tree, then hit me with it. Michael and I were suddenly on the ground, a tangle of limbs. Damien quickly stopped to avoid tripping over us and smiled at our disheveled faces.
"Jackie what happened?" Michael asked quickly, ignoring the look Damien was sending us. He brushed out his brown hair, dislodging some leaves.
Jasper stopped when he noticed three of his newborns were missing. I threw my black hair over my shoulder and watched him stop and turn around to face us.
"Jackie?" He asked loudly, bringing everyone else to a halt with him.
"I'm fine, I'm sorry." I murmured, answering both his and Michael's question. Damien pulled me to my feet, questioning glimmering in his crimson eyes, but he kept quiet. Jasper gestured for us to continue on.
"What was that, Jackie?" questioned Michael. His pacing slipped into a trot so he could stay at my side as we continued.
"I can sense them." I whispered, nodding my head in the direction of the town. "All of them… It's overwhelming."
Michael nodded and put a pale hand on my shoulder, then pulled away. "You'll have to get used to it." He said solemnly. "I wish I could help though."
Nodding, I pulled my jacket closer to me, despite the fact that I can't even feel the cold weather.
"Their minds are so… human." I continued. "I don't know how to explain it. And most of them are asleep, I can see their dreams..."
Michael ran his tongue over his lips. He glanced over at Damien, who had taken a place between us, Jasper, and the other newborns that were farther ahead, then looked back at me.
"Just stick with me." He said quietly. "You'll be fine."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me along faster. I pushed Damien in the back when we reached him, urging him to catch up with the rest.
The town came a closer to us faster than I would have liked it to. My eyes slipped up to the sky, my thoughts somewhat distracted. It was at least a few hours until dawn; plenty of time for our mission.
We stopped in a line on the outskirt of the town. Jasper nodded to all of us, and I watched as some of the newborns quickly dispersed into the streets of the town. Michael squeezed my hand gently. I saw Damien slip into a tavern, and heard Michael chuckle next to me. When I looked at him, he rolled his eyes, then guided me closer to the town.
My mind adjusted from child to mother, then from mother to husband. I looked around at the houses, just imagining he families inside. I breathed deeply through my nose, the scent of blood coating the back of my throat, then quickly let it out through my mouth; that certainly wouldn't help me at a place like this.
My headache was returning and growing stronger. Not only were the thoughts of the people bothering me, but the smell of blood wafting around the town was aggravating me.
But the blood wasn't only affecting me. Michael sniffed, then released my hand, suddenly taking off. I shouted after him, darting in the direction he was running towards. I tried to keep up with him, but his figure was dodging between houses and buildings so fast that it was hard to. It wasn't until he stopped before a barn did I finally catch up to him.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snapped.
Michael cocked his head to the side, completely ignoring me. Moving in front of him, I looked into his eyes. His pupils were blown, and the crimson color flared in the moonlight. The friendliness and compassion that usually lingered in them had left in an instant, suddenly overrun by his hunting instincts.
He strode up to the double doors of the barn and pushed one aside. It rolled on its hinges, creaking loudly in the process. Light flooded onto the ground, surrounding us in a yellow-orange hue.
"Michael?"
I could sense the person inside the barn. I saw his thoughts, once filled with unfamiliar faces before his attention was diverted. The only thoughts in Michael's mind were unnerving ones, so I moved in front of him protectively. Something twinged inside me at the sight of the teen in the barn. He standing in front of a horse, one hand on it's nose, the other frozen in mid-air with a brush. The teen's startled face fill with fear as he took in Michael's red eyes glaring down at him. I jumped forward and grabbed my friends upper arm.
"No, Michael, don't!" I put both my hands on his shoulders and pushed, despite the fact I was so much smaller than him. He glanced down at me, annoyance passing over his face.
"Move, Jackie." He stated firmly.
"No, you don't want to do this, Michael. Remember what Jasper said: No attention."
"He has potential," Michael reasoned. His eyes returned to the human teenager. I looked over my shoulder at him. He was still watching the both of us intently. The bay horse whinnied and pawed at the ground anxiously.
"Yes, but Michael, I don't think-"
"I'm sorry Jackie." He said. He removed my hands from him easily and walked past me.
The boy's fear escalated, and within a minute he was backing away from Michael. The horse neighed harshly, cantering out of the way of the vampire. The boy's green eyes followed the mare before flickering back to the approaching stranger.
In less than a second, Michael had the boy pinned to the wall, with his right arm awkwardly outstretched against the wooden panels. Michael's back hid most of the view, and as the smell of blood intensified, I closed my eyes. My thoughts weren't mine anymore, and the images that flashed through my mind were full out frightening. Through the human's eyes I saw Michael, and the lust on his face. I felt his emotions, his terrified emotions, and out of sheer panic, I threw the barriers up around my mind.
The thoughts were silenced.
Everything was suddenly quiet, so I looked up, blinking open my red eyes and removing my arms from over my head, which I hadn't even realized I'd thrown up. Michael looked up from his prey, and under his figure, I noticed that the teenager had fallen to the ground, his hand clamped over his right wrist, as he was writhed in agony. His green eyes were pained as he stuttered. "G-Get away from me."
I stopped breathing, not wanting to take in the scent of the teen's blood. I made to move towards the pair, but in an instant Jasper was at my side, and I stopped in my tracks. I jumped away, surprised at the sudden presence. He took in the ghastly sight before him.
"I told you to lure them out" He growled, looking at me.
I glanced over at Michael, then back at him. "I-I tried to stop him." I whimpered.
"Obviously not hard enough." He stated through clenched teeth. He marched up to the boy on the ground and pulled him roughly to his feet. He yelped out in pain as his shoulder was almost dislocated.
"Get him out of here, the transformation will start soon."
I shook my head and backed away. Blood was dripping from between the boy's fingers clenched around his wrist. The scent was overwhelming, and I felt my throat constrict with thirst.
"Jackie, now!" He pushed the human rather forcefully in my direction. I gingerly took his arm and led him away from the barn.
The last thing I saw was Jasper glaring down at Michael. He shoved him in the chest, and the boy flew into the western wall, knocking down a shelf of tools in the process.
I guided the boy out of the two vampires' line of sight. I was pulling him at an awkward angle because his hand was still gripping his wrist, but I paid no attention.
"Let go of me!" he snapped.
I whipped around to face him, my red eyes flashing angrily. He shut up immediately, but his annoyance and anger was still visible in his expression. He winced as he tugged out of my grip, and I backed up as he fell to the ground.
"What did he do to me?" He hissed in pain.
I licked my lips and glanced nervously around. For the most part, the town was still asleep. I heard the occupants of the tavern from the other side of the town, but apart from that, everything was quiet.
"You'll find out later." I whispered.
He didn't seem to believe me, but before I could open my mouth to say more, he let out an agonized scream. I glanced around nervously, afraid someone would come out of their house and find us. I bent down to pick him up.
I was able to actually see him now that I was closer to him. He seemed to be at least a year older than me. Shaggy brown hair fell into clouded green eyes, which he squeezed shut as he tried to cope with the pain searing up his right arm. He was dressed in simple trousers and a white shirt. I closed my mouth, shunning the scent, and grabbed his arm.
"Don't touch me!" He snapped.
I ignored the demand and instead threw my other arm around his waist and helped him into a standing position. The blood that was emanating from his arm was distracting, as were the panicked thoughts going through his head. I gritted my teeth; Jasper wouldn't have picked me if he knew I couldn't handle myself around the blood.
I felt the body twist as the venom entered his heart. He shrieked again, and my sensitive ears could pick up some movement within a couple of the houses around us. We shuffled faster, and when we were finally outside the town, I let go of him and he crumpled to the ground.
A few of the newborns were leaving the town and coming to my side. A couple of them had townspeople carelessly thrown over their shoulders. Their shrieks of pain mingled together, and I had to let my eyes drift to the ground in order to clear my head.
Damien appeared at my side. He looked down at the teenager on the ground, then back at me.
"Michael bit him." I answered quickly.
"What?" Damien asked, astonishment crossing over his face.
"Jasper's with him right now." I said. I glanced back in the direction of the barn. "He told me to get him out of here." I looked back down at the boy.
"Then we should go." He said quickly, bending down to pick up the older boy despite his small stature.
With one last look at the town I gestured for the others to follow me.
So just a little more detailed. :) Again, don't be afraid to leave your replies! :) -Love from Jay.