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DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight.
Chapter 5.
When I got home after the walk with Jacob I said goodnight to Charlie, goodbye to Billy and Jacob, then went up to my room. All I could think about was Jasper's eyes following me. Throughout the entire walk home I kept looking into the woods and everytime Jasper would look right back at me.
I waited until I heard Billy and Jacob go then got a hot shower to cool myself off before I spoke to him. I can't say I'm angry at him because I'm not, after all, he is only fulfilling a promise but it was a little weird.
I heard Charlie turn off the tv and make his way upstairs. I knew he'd be wanting the bathroom so I washed quickly and got out. I wrapped a towel around myself, put my dirty clothes in the hamper and went back to the confines of my bedroom. I locked the door as soon as I got in my room and turned around to find Jasper sat on my bed reading my newest books, The Vampire Diaries, totally false by the way.
I almost screamed, but then I remembered that Charlie was in the house and I stopped myself with my mouth half open. Jasper turned to look at me and a little smile of humour lit up his face. He held the book up to me. "Interesting reading." I glared at him. I grabbed my book off him.
"What are you doing in my room?" I demanded. Now I wasn't trying to be rude or cruel or whatever, I was just really shocked that he'd been sat there as if it was the most normal thing in the world, just like Edward used to.
A sharp little pain touched my heart at the thought of Edward and it made me grab the towel. Wait, towel. I had completely forgotten that I was standing in a towel, no real clothes covering me, infront of Jasper.
"I knew you'd be wanting to talk to me so I decided to wait."
"Its not your decision to make, coming into my room uninvited." He started to look apologetic, realising he'd made a mistake.
"I didn't realise my actions were inappropriate, I apologise." The guilty look on his face made me want to run over to him, give him a big hug and tell him that I wasn't really upset with him. But I was a little upset, even if it was just a little bit it was still there, so I couldn't hug him. Plus, I was still only wearing a towel and I really didn't want him to get the wrong idea.
"Its okay, but, er, could you, ya know, disappear for a minute? Please?" He looked confused.
"Why?" I had to roll my eyes.
"Because I have to get dressed and I'm not getting naked with you in the room." I smiled as I saw recognition and then embarrassment appear on his face.
"Of course." Next thing I know he was gone, out the window in a flash. I ran to my dresser and opened my pyjama draw. I picked out a soft, mint green nighty. I dressed myself and was about to let Jasper back in when I thought that it was probably wise to put some underwear on. Once I was safely tucked up in bed I called out Jasper's name quietly. Within a second he was sat on the end of my bed looking at me, waiting for me to speak.
We were sat in silence for what seemed like forever, just watching each other, thinking. Until I had to speak.
"Why were you following me?" Jasper looked relieved that I'd spoke and willing to answer.
"Because Carlisle made you a promise and I'm here to fulfill it, whether you like it or not Bella I am going to be watching you, keeping you safe until you decide to co-operate." I was slightly stunned at how forward and normal he sounded, to me it was kind of a weird sentence but it was clearly an everyday thing to Jasper.
"Look I understand about the promise thing and sure follow me around all you like but could you at least respect my privacy and my wishes and try to be inconspicuous."
"Bella no normal human would have noticed me earlier, everyone else would have been completely oblivious to me, but not you, the second you took your eyes off that child you were walking with and focused on something else you saw me, but you shouldn't have been able to, not if you were normal." I have to admit, I was expecting him to say this, I knew the moment I saw him that I shouldn't have, which made it pretty hard to be angry with him, because I knew he was just looking out for me and if I wasn't a freak then I wouldn't have noticed anything anyway.
So instead of throwing a fit or ranting about him stalking me, I just sighed and put my head in my hands. I couldn't be angry with him about anything or upset because I knew he wasn't the one to blame in all this, it wasn't his fault.
Jasper moved and came to sit beside me. I moved over so he could get on my bed properly and I didn't stop him when he put his arm around me.
"Bella, I am the one person on this Earth that you can never lie to about your feelings and I hope that you respect me enough, maybe not as a friend, but as an empath to try not to lie to me like your lying to everyone else." I knew where this was going and I didn't like it but I couldn't find it inside me to stop him from speaking because I knew I had to get it out at some point. "You can tell me about Edward. You can trust me with your feelings and with your thoughts. I'm here for you darlin' as a protector, a mentor and a friend." I felt the warm wetness slide down my cheek, I let the hurt fall out onto Jasper. "Do you want to talk?" I shook my head and instead just cried onto him, letting every emotion roll off me and just cried.
And Jasper held me all night and he let me cry, holding me, comforting me because he knew more than anyone how much I needed it.
That was the first night I fell asleep in Jaspers arms.
I woke up feeling groggy for the first time in months. I looked at my bedside clock to see that it was only 5:15 am, way too early for my liking but I couldn't stay cooped up in bed so I got up. I noticed that Jasper had gone but he left something on my desk, a thick envelope with my name wrote in masculine writing.
Bella.
I opened the envelope and tipped its contents on the desk. Inside was a folded piece of paper and a small-ish box. I read the note first.
Good morning Bella, I am sorry that I had to leave before you woke but I had some business to attend to and it could not wait.
I have left with you a new mobile phone, its what I'm going to call if I need to get in contact with you. I will phone you later when I am done but if there is an emergency then my number is speed dial 1.
Jasper.
The note made me smile, I can't believe Jasper would buy me a mobile when my dad wouldn't. I examined the box to find a brand new htc inside with charger, I turned it on to find that everything had been set up already and my two favourite games, angry birds and throttle copter, were already downloaded. I didn't know Jasper knew my two favourites.
After having a good mess around with the phone and getting dressed I decided to get some breakfast. I went downstairs and poured myself a bowl of cereal. I watched the clock and when it hit 6:30 I started making Charlie a fry-up for his breakfast. Just as I set the plate on the table Charlie came downstairs, grinning at the food and wearing his fishing clothes.
"Got the day off, dad?" He grinned up at me from where he was eating his eggs.
"Yeah and the weather looks like its going to be nice out so Harry and Billy asked me to join them fishing."
"Nice." I washed the dishes and let him finish his breakfast. Right before he left, he turned to me.
"Bells."
"Yeah?"
"Billy's having a barbecue down at the rez tonight, a few of the Quileutes will be there, just a small thing, would you like to come? I'm sure Jacob would be happy if you showed up." His smile said that he was hopeful and hanging with Jake had been really fun the night before so I said I'd go.
"Alright, I'll come pick you up after fishing." And then he left.
I spent the day cleaning, finishing some homework, playing on my new phone and reading. At three in the afternoon the phone started buzzing. I answered to hear Jasper's honey voice on the other end.
"Hello Bella, how are you feeling?" I sat up from where I was lay on my bed.
"Alright, I guess, whatcha been doing all day?" I didn't want to start with my feelings, I wasn't ready to face them again, especially not since Charlie could turn up any minute and I didn't wanna go to a barbecue feeling sorry for myself.
"Just purchasing a new home, somewhere that wont be a reminder for you when you visit." I had to do a double take. He had bought a new house just so as not to make me go to the big white one. That's a bit extreme.
"Did you just say you bought a new house so then I don't have to go to the other one?"
"Yes." Again, he spoke as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Okay."
"The best thing is that I get to decorate it how I want and I don't have to live in some monotone white space." I had to giggle. Jasper sounded so happy about decorating it was really sweet. "Whats funny?"
"Nothing." I said, shaking myself and smiling.
"Okay, well should I pick you up at four or five?"
"What do you mean? Pick me up for what?"
"Well we have to start the testing and I have to train you help you build up some control over your new found abilities. So four or five?"
"Jasper, I'm busy tonight, maybe tomorrow." There was silence on the other end for a minute and I was kind of worried he'd hung up or something. I waited for him to talk, quite impatiently.
"Oh, well, alright, if your really busy we can start tomorrow." He sounded disappointed and it made me want to hug him again which is strange as I'm not usually the hugging type.
"Okay, well i'll see you tomorrow?"
"Wait, Bella, don't go yet. Tell me, what are your plans for tonight?"
"Oh, its nothing really, just going to the rez for a barbecue, gonna hang out with Jake and some people he knows."
"You can't go there Bella." The change in his tone of voice was dramatic, suddenly he was being strict and demanding, like a drill sergeant. I have to admit it scared me a little.
"I can do what I want Jasper, but its okay I'll be fine." I tried to be reassuring and his tone of voice did change again but now he sounded worried.
"No Bella, you won't be safe there, not with them." I didn't understand his words or why he would be so worried I was just going to hang out with some normal human people for once what was so wrong with that?
"What do you mean? Its not like I'm running into a hoard of vampires, I'm just going to hang out with some human people for once."
"No, your not."
"What do you mean?" Jasper sighed, probably contemplating whether to tell me why he was being weird or not.
"Bella the people in La Push aren't normal, some of them are enemies of vampires, with the ability to destroy vampires, that includes you now, you can't go." I couldn't believe it. Who would have known that this little dead end town was full of freaks? Not me, not when I moved here thats for sure.
"Jasper, I'm not a vampire, I pose no threat to whatever it is thats on the rez and nothing is going to stop me from having a nice normal barbecue with my dad and some friends so if some vampire haters turn up and try to slice me up I promise I will run away and call you, okay?" This did not amuse Jasper one bit, I don't think he likes me joking about bad stuff.
"No Bella, not okay I can't go into La Push, not without breaking the treaty and if I break the treaty a lot of bad things could happen." I was confused and Charlie was pulling into the driveway so I just wanted to get off the phone.
"Look, I will call you as soon as I get home, hell you can even stalk me if you want to, but I have to go so could you just explain this when I get home please."
"Bella, please, don't go." He may have sounded worried and stressed and even a little upset but I needed something normal for once. So I said goodbye and hung up.
Charlie came into the house and smiled at me.
"Hey Bells, I'm just gonna get a quick shower and change and we can go, okay?" He started towards the stairs after he put his fishing stuff away.
"Okay." I went up with him and grabbed a purse, put my phone on silent, grabbed my keys and waited for ten minutes downstairs for Charlie. When he was ready we got in the cruiser together and he talked about fishing.
"It was great, I didn't catch much, Harry got all the good ones as always but it was great hangin' with Billy and Harry on the boat..." He talked on and on about fishing the entire drive, but I didn't mind, it was nice to hear him talking so much about something he enjoyed, it was a change as he usually just sits in silence.
The drive to the rez was short and as soon as I got out the car I could smell the cooking and the smoke from the barbecue, but I could also smell something else, something feral and wild, animal mixed with human. It was strange and a part of me feared that Jasper had been right.
Charlie knocked on the front door and Jacob answered quickly. I was surprised to see his face light up when he saw me.
"Hey, everyone's in the back." He spoke to Charlie who walked through the house as if it were his own home. "Come on in Bells." Jake stepped aside for me to walk in and I was unhappy to note that the feral smell was significantly stronger in here. "Your dad make you come today?" Jake started talking instantly and although I kept up my end of the conversation I was more focussed on that smell. It wasn't exactly bad, it was just not human, which is not what I had been expecting.
We walked through to the back garden chatting and Jake making me laugh. I noticed when we got outside that I didn't really know anyone who was here but I said hi to the people I did know, which was basically just Billy and Harry. Harry introduced me to his wife, Sue, and their two kids, Leah and Seth, although, Leah wasn't really a kid, she was older than me, but she seemed nice.
It was after all the pleasantries that I noticed them, they were stood slightly away from everyone else, talking together privately and they kept looking at me, glancing mostly but sometimes they looked for a little too long with a look of wonder on their faces.
When Jacob started to talk to Seth and I was being ignored, I started to listen in to their conversation.
"Look at her she's clearly human."
"Smell her though, her scent is too different, that isn't human."
"But she's not one of them, she can't be."
"Then what is she?"
"I don't know, but we clearly need to speak to Bella Swan." It was as he said my name that I looked up, an automatic reaction to hearing it I guess. I stared into the deep brown eyes of the man who spoke my name and he stared back.
He knew I'd been listening.
Thanks for reading. Leave your thoughts.
KV =D