-Flashback- (Mid 1900's)
It was raining.
Jasper Hale opened his umbrella as it poured harder, for that was the human thing to do. But Jasper Hale was anything but human. He avoided the eyes of other people on the street as he walked quickly on the sidewalk with no specified destination.
He walked still, even as lightning flashed above him followed by the boom of the thunder. Other people did the more human thing and darted into cars parked on the side of the road or into apartment buildings on side streets. But on Jasper walked, without knowing where he was going to end up.
Suddenly, he stopped, without knowing why. Looking to his right, he saw the entrance to a coffee shop that looked very warm, even though temperature no longer affected him. He was permanently cold as stone. Still, he turned on his heel and shut his umbrella before entering the café, not exactly knowing why he was there. He glanced around nervously as the bell on the door chimed when it slammed shut, and a few people glanced his way, but only one got up.
She was short, with a dark brown pixie haircut and white, chalky skin much like his own. Her eyes lit up when she saw him and she danced her way from her stool over to the door. When she got closer to him, he noticed that her eyes were a dark gold color, almost black. Her voice sounded like wind chimes when she spoke.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Jasper Hale." She said. He looked at her, clearly confused.
"Who are you?" he
asked.
"I'm Alice. We don't know each other, but we will
very soon." She said. Then she turned her eyes to the ceiling, as
if trying to remember something. "We will be very close…lovers?"
At this point, Jasper backed away from her slightly, still looking at
her like she had three heads. "No," she continued. "I will love
you, and you will love me, but more like siblings. I can see…"
she was murmuring to herself. "We will be something like adopted
cousins. I will never love you in a romantic way. No…there is
another girl in your future…she will be a part of our family as
well.
Our future is bright, Jasper. So, are you ready to go to Washington?" she asked, finally addressing him.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jasper asked in almost a whisper, raising his eyebrow. Alice giggled.
"Oh, you know. Come, walk with me." She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back into the rain.
----
"So let me get this straight." Jasper said as he continued to walk with Alice. "You can tell the future?"
"For the most part." Alice nodded.
"I thought I was the only one." Jasper murmured.
"The only vampire?" Alice asked. Jasper winced at the word.
"No. I knew there were others; I associated with others. I thought I was the only one with another ability: my ability to control emotions." He said.
"Oh." Alice said. "I thought that I was the only one at one point, too. But then I saw you, and I saw our family, and I knew the truth. They have special abilities, too."
"Our family?" Jasper echoed. Family. A familiar word, but one he hadn't heard in a while. He liked the sound of it; it sounded safe.
"Yes, the Cullens. They live in Washington, where we must go." Alice said. "Do you trust me?" she asked.
"Yes." Jasper said, but he wasn't sure yet if that was true.
"Then follow me, keep up, and don't look back." She said, flashed him a smile, and broke into a run. Jasper hesitated, but followed her nonetheless to his…their…his and Alice's…new life.
-End Flashback-
----
-Flashback- (2007)
Forks High School. Population: 357… now 358. Isabella Swan followed a girl whose name she had already forgotten to lunch on her first day at this new school. She sat down at the table between the girl she came with and a boy who she barely got a glance at. The girl introduced Bella to everyone at the table, but she forgot their names as well. She glanced around the small cafeteria, people watching, until one group in particular caught her eye. They weren't paying attention to what was going on outside their small group, so it was safe to stare.
There were four girls and three boys, Bella observed, all dressed elaborately and all very attractive. So alike, yet so different. There was a long, blonde haired girl, a short girl with a brown pixie cut, a girl with a platinum blonde bob and a girl with waist length, bouncy curls and straight across bangs. The boys were all different as well; one with honey blond hair, another with short, curly brown hair and the last with untidy bronze hair. But they all had the same, dark eyes.
"Who are they?" Bella asked the girl whose name she remembered was Jessica. Jessica looked up and smiled when she saw whom Bella was referring.
"The bronze haired boy is Edward, and his brother is the curly brown haired one named Emmett. Alice is the one with the pixie and Sophia is the short blonde haired one. They're Edward and Emmett's sisters, all the Cullens. Then you've got the Hales; Jasper, the gold-ish haired one who looks like he's in pain, his twin sister Rosalie, the blonde one who looked like she walked out of the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated, and Bridgette, the one with long, brown hair." Jessica said, pointing to each in turn.
"They're very…nice looking." Bella said, though it was an understatement.
"I know." Jessica sighed. "They're all together, though. Edward and Bridgette, Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper and Sophia."
"Oh." Bella said. "So…Edward and Bridgette…" she trailed off, embarrassed. She hoped Jessica would get what she was trying to say. Thankfully, she did. Jessica laughed slightly.
"Yeah. They're very serious. I would get that thought out of your head while you can." She said.
"Oh." Bella said again. Jessica proceeded to tell her more about the Cullens and the Hales, and she listened for the most part.
After lunch, Bella made her way to Biology, which she had with Edward. He politely greeted her 'hello' and introduced himself when the teacher made them lab partners. After class, a male voice came from behind Bella.
"Aren't you Isabella Swan?" he asked. Bella turned to see a cute, baby faced boy with hair gelled carefully into spikes.
"Bella, actually." She corrected him with a smile.
"Bella." The boy grinned. "I'm Mike. Mike Newton."
