I'm not sure why, but I was very hesitant about this chapter. It wasn't exactly planned, I just sort of wrote it. I didn't get as far as I planned with it, but I think I'm pleased with the outcome. I'm currently writing the next chapter. If I can, I'd like to get it out later today or tomorrow. That's completely up to how fast I can write and how fast my co-author approves it, though. I will try to write it.
I really want to know what you think about this story. This chapter especially, since I was so hesitant about it. RxR
-TG
Chapter 9
Last Chapter:
"Alice. You need to hunt."
I gulped loudly. Despite the pain I was feeling in both my ravaged shoulders and my burning throat, I was reluctant to go hunting.
"I don't think I really need to go hunting, do I?" I already knew the answer- I could feel the answer burning mockingly in the back of my throat. He looked down at me condescendingly. I turned my face from him, avoiding his penetrating gaze. He pulled my chin back to face him with one finger, about to speak to me again, but he was interrupted.
"Of course you're going hunting. You just wasted me a perfectly good soldier- no! Better than perfectly good. That was one of our best soldiers! I want you as strong as you possibly can be, because tomorrow you're getting some very special training to make up for it." She smiled- more like bared her teeth at me -evilly. I was clinging to Jasper's tattered shirt, ruined from the outbreak. At Maria's words, I felt that growl emanate from deep inside his chest. I saw a few tiny pink scars from the scratches. They were prominent through the tears in his shirt, but I could see them fading quickly away completely. Still, It annoyed me greatly- too greatly for just mere concern -that he was hurt at all, disregarding the still prominent scars of my own.
I suddenly remembered the actual cause of Jasper's pain- my pain. I turned quickly around, facing the fierce blood-red eyes in front of me. "Excuse me?! You're blaming this on me?! I believe that if you hadn't been completely drooling over Jasper, this never would have happened! You're the one who wasn't paying attention!" I saw the shock register in her eyes from my words. I guess she wasn't used to people standing up to her. I was correct.
She was suddenly lunging herself at me, before I could even think about it. I was prepared to attack in a nanosecond, but there was no need for it. Jasper had taken an infinitesimal half-step in front of me protectively. Before she could reach me, Jasper threw her to the side of us, where she landed gracefully in a cat-like crouch as if she was about to attack again. Jasper didn't growl or lunge at Maria. He simply looked at her.
Maria gave one final snarl, "How dare you! How dare you... attack... your leader." As she spoke, her words came to a diminuendo as she visibly became calmer. I saw her stand up calmly and place her fingertips on her temples, rubbing away some kind of hidden stress, for she looked as calm and collected as could be.
"You are not to use your powers on me again, you hear?" Her words were spoken slow and eloquently, but the calm tone almost made the threat even more menacing. Jasper nodded once.
"Drastic times. Drastic measures." He said quietly- almost silently. I knew, however, that every pair of ears in that field could hear. Now- looking around -I realized that we were the center of attention for everyone present. Nettie, Lucy, and the now dwindling group of 16 male newborns all had their red penetrating eyes fixed on us.
"Hardly." She said maliciously, eying me again. She turned to Nettie, "Nettie take the newbie hunting. She doesn't seem to be going... willingly." Nettie laughed a shrill noise and sprung over to me, taking me painfully by the arm that was still covered in deep scratches. I winced as she pulled me along, attempting to grab her wrist to remove her by force. Of course, Jasper had me covered.
As Jasper saw Nettie take my wrist, he growled. "Over my pile of ashes!" and- with a small, painful cracking sound -Jasper had removed Nettie's hand, grabbing my wrist gently with the same hand in which he had just crushed Nettie's with.
"Ouch! You bully, what did you do that for?!" She said in a high-pitched whine, shaking her hand as I saw it fill out the Jasper-hand-shaped imprint that he left.
"Dammit Nettie. You hurt her, I hurt you. Get it straight now, because you're going to have to get used to it." He said angrily snarling the words at her. I gleamed on the inside, but stayed aware of what Maria was doing, afraid that she would attack him or something in her jealousy. Maria glared again at him. He ignored it and took on a very fierce expression.
"There'll be no need for an escort of that sort, Maria. I'll be taking Alice hunting tonight- well now, I guess since it's getting dark." I looked up and noticed for the first time that it had gotten dark. I gulped again nervously at what that meant. Jasper looked over at me with a concerned look. With realization he added, "And we will be hunting. That won't be a problem..." I could tell that the latter part was specifically stated for my benefit. I pouted a little, knowing there was no way out of it. He would get his way in the end, there was no getting around that.
"I don't know if I can trust you with that, Jasper. I think-" Maria said, glaring towards me as she spoke to Jasper. I guess it was just easier for her to take her anger out on me rather that the person she was actually angry at.
"Well, you really can't trust anyone anymore, can you?" And that was that. The conversation was over. His last words, though... they made me think. Did he really not trust me? I mean, I know we don't even know that much about each other but I trust him with my existence, which he had saved a few times today. How could he not trust me in the same way?
He started pulling me gently towards the forest as I felt the glares follow me there. He sighed as soon as we stepped out of vampire hearing range. I looked up at him, but he looked forward, not meeting my gaze. I looked down at our intertwined hands and squeezed his lightly. He squeezed it back, and I smiled, happy that he acknowledged me.
Of course, with his powers, he couldn't not be affected by my happiness. He scooted closer to me, taking the hand he held captive and placing it on his waist and putting his own arm around my shoulders. I sighed contentedly at the same time as him, which made him him laugh.
Standing so close to him, I realized how tiny I was in comparison to him. He was so tall that I barely stood at his shoulder, which I now laid my head against as we walked in no particular direction. He was so thick with muscle, and I was so tiny. It only made that feeling of being completely surrounded by him feel that much safer. This was my home now; in Jasper's arms.
We were walking at a humanly slow pace when we reached the city limits. I suddenly awoke from my daydreaming, now realizing what it was that we were about to do. It made me feel sick to my stomach in a strange way... but then there was that horrid burning feeling that had taken up my entire esophagus and mouth, making venom constantly pool in my mouth. It was uncomfortable, to say the least.
I stopped suddenly, my nerves getting the best of me. Jasper spoke, his words soothing. "It'll be ok. I'll teach you, it's always a little challenging the first time through. You'll be-"
"Jasper." I interrupted him with a pain-stricken look. His brows crossed in a concerned look. He opened his mouth to speak again, but I stopped him. "Jasper, listen to me. I'm being completely serious. I really don't know if I can do this..."
"It's not going to be a problem. You just-" I shook my head, trying to continue.
"I started thinking about it, Jasper... and I remember almost nothing about my human life, I realized. I can't remember what my parents were like. I couldn't tell you what school I went to, or if I had any friends, or even my last name. The worst part is, I don't know why.
The only things I remember are the day I was changed, the pain during the transformation, and one other person: My sister. Her name was Bella, and she meant the world to me. I remember exactly what she looked like and how she acted and spending time with her. The only reason I even remembered my own name was because I remembered that Bella said my name in a vision. I was going to go shopping with her on that day- I remember that -but I ended up not taking her because I had a vision that Nettie killed her. And though I knew that for some reason I had to go anyway to that alley- now I realize that you brought me there -I knew that I couldn't let Bella come with me. Couldn't let her be hurt. That's my only real vivid memory.
But what I'm trying to say is. I had someone so special to me in my human life. Now what if she had gone that day instead of me? What if she had been killed by our kind? I would've felt so horrible. Who's to say I won't find someone else's special person? You see my dilemma?"
He looked pensive for a moment. After a few minutes of deep thought, he smiled and took my face between his hands, gazing down at my eyes. "I understand perfectly- probably better than anyone else. I have to feel every emotion of my prey. Their fright and regret affects me every time. I've never told anyone that, and the other three have never really realized how much it pains me to hunt people... but, when it comes down to it, it's not something I can really control."
"But-" I began to interrupt. He put his hand over my mouth playfully so he could continue.
"You'll understand soon. I try to avoid that as much as possible, only targeting sleeping Hobo's who have basically no feeling but tired, hungry, and high. In certain special occasions, I target rapists who I have absolutely no pity towards." He smiled to himself at his own personal joke. I didn't think it was that funny when I had to experience almost being victimized by those awful 'special occasions'. "But you see, it's hard to avoid a lot of the time. The others don't really give a crap who they kill, and they drag me along with them. And once you smell a human it's literally impossible to turn away from the scent. Your senses take over, and you're not the least bit human anymore- just predator. It's a scary sensation... but you'll get used to it."
I wrinkled my nose at that prospect, and he laughed at me twisted expression. "Once you smell them, it won't be a problem. Just trust me. Do you trust me?" I nodded slowly, giving in to his beautiful, trustworthy face.
"Then if you trust me, listen to me when I say that you need to hunt. Look at your arms. The wounds are just now starting to close. They should've closed almost immediately. Do you even see a scratch on me? Did you see Nettie's wrist repair itself? That's how it's supposed to heal. You don't have enough blo- energy -in you to repair yourself. You're throat will continue to burn incessantly and you're eyes! Look at yourself Alice, your eyes are far too dark."
He pointed to a nearby window of an abandoned building. I saw my reflection for the first time since my change. I now noticed how truly tiny I was; I was thin, but not too thin. I was beautifully thin, and my hair was darker. It was black instead of dark brown now. But the most prominent feature was my eyes. With dark purplish semi-circles surrounding them, they looked bruised. The irises themselves were a deep shade of burgundy that was far darker than jasper's ruby ones. Seeing the need, and trusting Jasper, I finally nodded.
He smiled at me encouragingly.
"But just hobos and rapists right?" I said, both mockingly and perfectly serious. He laughed, though, taking the mocking side.
"Just hobos and rapists tonight, I promise." He took my hand and we started to run in some general direction. He knew where he was going, I didn't. It seemed uninhabited for a very long stretch. But I started to hear traffic and city sounds coming from about a mile or two away. It was too far for me to smell any humans yet, but I could tell we would be finding some very soon.
"Are you ready?" He asked, squeezing my hand another time.
"Bring on the hobos." I smirked at him. He laughed.
"Don't forget the rapists." He added, with another laugh.
"Never! Why would I want to forget them?" I said sarcastically. Remembering the last time we had encountered someone of that sort, I had a thought. "Hey, Jasper? Before we do this, can you promise me one thing?" I said seriously.
He looked a little concerned, but he said equally serious. "Anything in the Universe." I smiled at that, hearing the truth in his words.
"If we do find any rapists or anything, promise me you won't fall in love with the potential rape victim." I ended in a sarcastic tone that made him double over in laughter. I was laughing with him as he pulled me forward and we started running again.
