AND! The moment you've all been waiting for... Ok, just. Read. Haha, well I have to say this was a LOOONG chapter. It's my longest yet! Yay! My co-author LOVED this one, so I hope you do to. I was actually going to put more in this chapter, but I found that it was already sooo long, and this was a good place to start the next chapter.

Hope you like it! RxR

-TG


Chapter 14- No Need to Hide

Alice POV

I didn't know what Jasper was doing that made him unable to see me for two whole weeks, but whatever it was, I was grateful. Quite seriously, I don't know how I would cope if he came to see me. I wouldn't be able to tell when he was coming or his reaction since my visions had officially become impossible to reach. I couldn't let him see me this way-

At that thought, I strained extremely hard to crawl over to the reflective surface of the water to see how my face had changed. I was still sparkling a bit, but the color was… off. Instead of the white, heavenly glow that I normally had, it was a pale, ominous white like a spotlight of a car on your face in the dead of night. But my eyes were the worst. The black had completely spread through my eyes, terminating all the white they passed. Now my eyes appeared to be dark holes in my head. They were reflecting the water on the surface, and it made me look very bug-eyed. It wasn't a funny sight at all though; it was terrifying. I was scaring myself.

Not wanting to look at myself anymore, I turned back around and began to crawl back, but I couldn't reach where I was previously sitting so I laid down in the grass below me. I was having some trouble moving, if you hadn't already figure it out. My legs and my body were working fine, don't get me wrong, the problem was I couldn't get my brain to focus on anything besides the burning. I could no longer see my visions or control my emotions because those required some iota of focus, which I certainly didn't have. The only thing my brain seemed to wrap around anymore was I'm in pain, I'm in pain, it burns. The burning had almost reached the intensity of my change, but it wasn't nearly as bad because it was located in only one area instead of throughout my whole body. I could bare it for now, but I didn't even want to think about in a few weeks or even a few months when the pain increased and I'd probably be incapacitated... But I didn't want to think that far ahead, and I probably couldn't make any logical premonition as to what would happen to me, seeing as I was practically going delirious from pain.

I gritted my teeth, trying in some way to deflect the pain. I wanted so badly to put out the fire, but I would not hurt a human! I kept repeating that to myself, but at every "human" I could practically hear the monster inside of me yell in protest, starved and crazy. The monster seemed a lot closer to my conscious self than before... terrifyingly close. So close, in fact, I probably wouldn't have the self control I had before if I were to see a human right now. If I was in this state on the night of my hunt... well, I probably wouldn't be having a starvation problem, would I? Jasper's statement would have been right; I wouldn't have been able to control my self. Not with this monster practically whispering into my thoughts, "C'mon, one human won't hurt... Just one." And when put like that, it sounded so harmless and so inviting. What if that human was a serial killer? It would be kind of a "kill one, save a thousand" kind of thing. That wouldn't be so bad, right?

No! I wouldn't fall for this. Serial killer or not, it's not my decision who dies and who lives. I would not become a murderer, not now, not ever... But how could I live like this for the rest of my existence? It would hurt Jasper so much to see me like this… I don't even know if he would stay with me anymore. How can you bare to be around the one you love when they're putting themselves through such pain? There had to be another way, some way around these extreme measures.

As soon as that thought occurred to me, many things happened at once. First, a young doe stepped into the meadow. It grazed on the grass for a minute before it started to jump around the meadow quickly, but to me it seemed as if it was going in slow motion. As it passed me, I could see the blood flowing through its veins, and I could hear its heart beating so loud I could feel the vibrations of the sound waves. The world around the deer seemed to disappear into a dizzying blur, but I could see the deer perfectly. The monster had stopped yelling, and was now watching closely, confused as to what to do about this deer. And I didn't know either, until-

My first involuntary vision in three weeks came to me:

The vision was somewhat blurry and imperfect, kind of like an exaggerated form of my memories of visions as a human.

There were five people running through a damp wood, an eerie blue light shining on them through the canopy of the trees. In the back of the group there was a flash of gold and brown, then in the middle were two more of about the same color, and in the front their was something different; a flash of bronze. I soon realized that these were these people's hair colors as it blew behind them from the speed at which they were running. They were running so fast that they must have been vampires, though on closer inspection something seemed off about them- something was different.

I watched as they ran on for a little while longer, never saying anything, though the one in front appeared to nod every now and then like someone was talking to him. It was then that a realized that the bronze-haired one was a boy. Then there was a blond man and a brown-haired woman, followed by a beautiful blond woman and a huge, overly-muscular man with short, dark brown curls. Finally, something happened. The one in front jumped into the tree, springing from branch to branch before he tackled a mountain lion that had been sleeping on a boulder. I hadn't even been aware of the huge cat's presence, but the vampires had clearly sensed them. The others filed out and proceeded to kill the other two mountain lions.

The three that had captured the mountain lions drank from them, while the other two hunted more. The big one ran a few miles away before he found a humongous grizzly bear that seemed irritable from being woken from its nap. And lastly, I saw the brown-haired woman find a large deer. It was intimidating- seeing a woman so small and petite take down an animal twice the size of her own body, but that's what vampires can do. She was feeding from the neck of the deer, and as I saw blood trickle down the animal's neck from its wound, the monster in me drooled. Then, the woman looked up almost as if she could see me watching her. The way she looked in my direction made me think that she might be able to see me. That's when I noticed the difference between these vampires and the one's I was used to; her eyes were golden.

Now that I thought about it, I'd seen that all of their eyes were golden, though they had been darker before they fed. What were these people? Were they some different type of vampire? Or was this the way out I had been searching for? Before I could ponder that question, the vision changed.

The same group of vampires emerged out of the trees and began running in the direction of a house. Could they be hunting humans now? I soon realized that this wasn't the home of some poor human victim, but the home of these vampires. It was so strange watching them walk through the doors of this huge house and act like humans after they had just hunted like animals. My vision traveled through the house, and I got a tour of practically every room.

The vision began to recede from the house. It zoomed backwards through the trees until it reached an old road, abandoned of cars. It paused at a wooden sign next to the road that read "The City of Forks Welcomes You."

As the vision ended, the epiphany hit. The deer was still there a few feet away. It seemed curious of me but wary still. It wanted to see what I was, but it also knew I was dangerous. I kept perfectly still, playing dead. I wasn't sure if this would work, but it could be my way out of life as a murderer (of humans). I was excited and nervous at the same time, and for the first time in a while the pain in my throat seemed minimal in my anticipation. I was hoping, praying, this would work, but I wasn't sure. And there was only one way to find out.

I willed my legs and my arms to work again, and in one motion I sprung at the deer. Before it could get away, I had it pinned to the ground. I hit it on the head to kill it, as quickly and painlessly as I could in my still-delirious state. Now was the moment of truth. I lowered my head to its neck and pierced the flesh there easier than butter. Finally, I drank from the wound. The taste wasn't exactly appetizing, but the warm blood cooled the fire down a little. It was one of the most wonderful sensations both because the pain was decreasing in intensity and because now I knew that there was another way.

Excited, I quickly buried the deer and listened around for the sound of more wildlife. I closed my eyes, listening to the forest, smelling for the scent of blood, and feeling the earth for the beat of hooves. I sensed a small group of deer about half a mile away and immediately ran.

In ten minutes, I was so full I thought I was about to explode. The burning in my throat had ceased to an infinitesimal amount. It was more like a warmth now than a burning, a comfortable heat. I ran around the meadow happily, completely able to use the full ability of my limbs. My vision was brighter, my hearing clearer. Finally, I went the water to see myself. My eyes and my sparkle were both back to normal. Well, my eyes weren't normal anymore. They weren't gold or red now, they were more of a reddish-orange color. They definitely weren't the terrifying blood-red of a normal vampire. This color was clearly different. Maybe they would change to that beautiful gold color eventually, but for now this was good.

I felt refreshed and more alive than I had been in a while. I needed to get out of this meadow. I realized then that there was no need to stay here anymore, because there was no need to hide anymore. I didn't know what challenges returning would bring, but I was ready for them. With my muscles and limbs feeling rejuvenated, I began my sprint towards the camp.

Jasper POV

Four recruits. It was a personal record for our army, but it probably broke the world record. I'd never even heard of an army larger than eighteen newborns, but we had a grand total of 20 newborns and four leaders. According to our scouts, the other clan had added two, but there numbers still didn't come close to ours. With a mere 16 newborns and two leaders, I could tell it wouldn't be a close battle. It would be quick and easy, with minimal fatalities. I looked over our numbers, imagining a few of the newborns disappearing, as if they never existed. That's how it would be afterwards; they would disappear from all thoughts or memories. No one would grieve for them- at least not for their personality. Maria might grieve the loss of a good soldier, but she would never grieve the loss of someone she liked for their personality, not unless I was to die. Like that would ever happen. Out of all the soldiers here, I was probably the least likely to perish in battle. I was too careful, too experienced.

We were doing drills again, but I wasn't paying much attention. I muttered a "good" or a "Keep your stance" every now and then, but I wouldn't be able to tell you who I was talking to, or what about. I was thinking about Alice at the moment. I hadn't been able to bring myself to go back there yet- not that I had the chance in the past two weeks. After my last visit, I dreaded seeing the pain in those dark eyes. I was so worried that she was withering away, and I wasn't there to see her, to care for her. I wanted so much to see her well I again. To see her smile again. To kiss her without the fear that she was in horrible pain from starvation. I imagined her smiling in my head, her dark hair bouncing as she laughed, and her beautiful eyes returned to their original warm brown, though that would never happen now. It frustrated me, how she was so dead set on being different. The status quo might not be favorable, but it was safe for her. I wouldn't have to see her in pain anymore. I wished with all my power that there was another way. A way she could be healthy and happy at the same time. A way that wouldn't grip her or I with guilt. A humane way.

"Jasper? What are you doing?" Maria had her arms crossed, and a look that meant business was etched on her face.

"Whatever do you mean, Maria?" I said, innocently. I looked around finally, taking in my surroundings. I was supposed to be training two of the new recruits, while Lucy and Nettie had the other two. My two were seriously lost, fumbling about like toddlers in need of direction. They did need direction, but I wasn't in the mood to give it.

"I mean this." Maria stepped in the middle of the two newborns. It was a dangerous move if you think about it. Newborns could crush you if they got a hold of you, and directly in front of them was not a place you wanted to be when they were sparring. But Maria knew what she was doing. She was almost as good as I, ducking beneath the lunge and grabbing both newborns by the calf before she tossed them in a heap 15 yards away. "That! That's what I mean. These... idiots are useless to me! You're supposed to be making them useful, but No; you're over here day dreaming."

The two recruits had scrambled back up and proceeded with their sparring, trying desperately to get away from Maria's attention. They didn't have to worry about that, because Maria wasn't paying any attention to them any more. She was too busy with me.

"Forget to teach recruits, what about your status, Jasper?" She said, beginning to circle me. She was in battle stance, and in a position that was ready for lethal attack. I followed her with my eyes without moving my body, listening to her speech. "Have you sparred or practiced tactics once since your little girlfriend died? No; you've been too busy on your little 'walks'. What have you been doing on your little walks anyway? Reporting to the other clan? Well? What is it? What on Earth could you be doing for hours at a time? You can't be seriously mourning your little girlfriend for that long, really?"

I took a deep breath and spread a feeling of calm towards her. It wasn't often that Maria's emotions changed, but when they did, I pretty much knew something bad was going to happen. I had known this wouldn't work. I knew Maria would gather sooner or later that I wasn't alone on my 'walks'. As she circled around my back, I turned my head towards her, still watching her out of my peripheral vision. From her stance, I could tell she was going to attack me. I didn't quite know what to expect from her, considering the only time she ever attacks one of our own is when she kills the vampires we don't need anymore or the newborns that have tried to escape.

I waited for her emotions to change, registering her imminent attack. Finally, after a long six seconds of circling, she lunged for me. I ducked beneath the blow she threw, and threw one of my own. It just barely missed the skin of her neck as she leaned backwards at the waist to dodge it. We were in an odd sort of dance, moving around the field in synchronization. We were evenly matched for a while, but I was advancing on her. The space in between her skin and my hands as I lunged forward ready to tear her apart decreased significantly. There was only a minimal amount of fear in her emotions, but I used that to my advantage, faking one blow and throwing another. I was mere seconds away from a damaging attack when I saw the flash of color in the trees around us. Something was running around the perimeter of the field—circling an army of vampires. I took a moment to reach out towards its emotions, but that instant was enough for Maria to take a lead. Before I knew what happened, I was pinned to the ground beneath her, her teeth at my neck posed for the kill. Though I should have been worried that she was about to tear me apart, I was more focused on finding whatever it was that I'd seen. In that second of suspense while Maria decided what to do with me, I reached out towards the forest, after searching for about a third of a second, I found it; an emotion that wasn't coming from the army, Lucy, Maria, or Nettie. For a tenth of a second I was confused, because the only emotions coming from the forest were a minimal of fear and a lot of jealousy.

After scanning around for something that one could be jealous of. Sheepishly, I realized the compromising position I was in: Maria was straddling me, with her teeth hovering above my neck. With that observation, I immediately knew who my mystery person was. I had figured it out in less than a second- that's how blatantly obvious it was.

Finally, I returned my full concentration- well, almost full because I couldn't help but think about the mysterious intruder hiding in the trees- to my situation. Knowing who was in the trees, it was hard for me to think that I might be killed in the next few seconds. I was relieved when Maria raised her head and smiled triumphantly, saying, "My, My, Jasper. It seems you have lost your touch..." She still hadn't gotten off of me, and it was annoying me. I needed to leave this field. To do that, I needed to make a convincing scene; one where everyone knew that I was fed up, that I truly needed to leave to be by myself. I thought of a plan and put it into action at the same time.

Maria was staring down at me, judging my reaction with a wry smile. I looked away, avoiding her gaze as if I felt defeated. Before she could tell what I was doing, I lunged forward throwing her back a good fifty yards before I was tackling her. I was crouched next to her, holding her by the neck. I held her tightly, and I could feel her neck depress as if it were breaking beneath my grasp. Her eyes winced slightly, but her lips were pulled back over her teeth in fury. She was snarling, but I didn't let her go. I whispered to her, though our audience would be able to hear it easily. "I've only lost a few things before; one of them is my humanity, and with it, my mortality and weakness. The other is the girl I love." I paused and let an angry frown appear on my face. "Yes, those I have lost, but one thing I have definitely not lost is my touch. You would do well to remember that." With my last word, I released her. She stood up, visibly fuming.

"The only reason you're here anymore, Jasper, is because you can fight. I am the leader, not you, and if you even think about stepping out of line once more than I will happily 'forget' to hold back next time." She said it loud enough for even a human to hear, and though her voice level was loud, she wasn't yelling. She remained eerily calm still. "I'm not afraid of killing you, Mr. Whitlock. You would do well to remember that."

I laughed humorlessly; it came out as a dark, almost menacing chuckle. I was still crouched, and then I placed one hand on the soft earth. To a human, it might look like I was keeping my balance, but that was obviously not the case. I felt the vibrations around the field, reaching out in the forest until I felt the almost infinitesimal vibrations coming from the trees directly in front of me. The movement was so light, it could have been a small house cat jumping from tree to tree- that is, if a house cat could jump from tree to tree at a speed faster than a car racing down the freeway.

"Who said I'd let you kill me, Maria?" I smiled, and with those departing words, sprung forward towards the trees. As I hit the deeper part of the trees, I realized I was being followed. Well, not 'followed' exactly, but joined. As I ran at my full speed on the ground, there was someone in the trees directly above me or to the side of me. After I had run a reasonable distance from camp I paused abruptly, but the other being still moved forwards in the trees before it circled around and came back. As this person circled in the trees around me, I could hear her tinkling laughter resounding around me.

"Alice..." I drew out her name. "What are you doing here?" I didn't say it condescendingly, but curiously. I didn't know why or how she got to me safely. She must be going crazy from thirst, right? How could she have the energy or concentration to make it to me discreetly?

Alice ignored me as she stopped in the tree above me. I looked up to see her petite form leaning against the trunk of the tree, while one foot was resting on a branch. The other foot hang limp over the branch. She was easily 30 feet up in the tree, but I could see her smile as I found her. She ignored my question and spoke, "You know, Jasper, normally I wouldn't condone my boyfriend hitting a girl..." She trailed off as she jumped from the branch, spiraling in a somersault through the air, narrowly missing each branch. As she reached me, I caught her. She giggled and quickly kissed me on the lips, and I could feel her smile beneath mine. She pulled away and continued, "But for her, I think I can make an exception."


Sooo? Whadja think?