A/N: I guess i'll let it slide with four new reviewers...Hope you like it! ENJOY! (3
Chapter 7: The Meadow
I woke to the sound of my phone vibrating on floor next to my bed. I picked it up and saw Angela's picture on the front. Tuesday at lunch, the whole posse passed my phone around, taking pictures and programming in their numbers. Then they proceeded to take loads of crazy pictures, most of which I deleted. Wednesday, Jasper got a cell phone of his own. He told me that Alice had insisted that it was about time they all got shiny new iPhones. I was super jealous. Since I got my phone, people—for reasons unknown—felt the need to call me. Calls from Jessica, and Angela were fine, but when I got calls from people like Mike, and Tyler, I got annoyed.
"Hello?" I muttered sleepily.
"Wake up!" she yelled, making me wince. "You can't be late for school!"
"I'm up, I'm up."
"Alright, see you at school sweetheart!" she said energetically ending the call. I yawned, and stretched, and yawned some more. Then finally, I got up to start my day. When I noticed what day it was, I immediately was overcome with happiness. I hopped around my room listening to my ipod while I was getting dressed. When I looked out my window, I saw Jasper leaning on the side of the Volvo. I quickly ran down the stairs, grabbing a granola bar for breakfast, and ran out the door.
"You're in a good mood," he said, seeming slightly amused.
"It's Friday," I replied cheerfully getting in the car. I looked at his glorious face again, enjoying his beauty.
"You always brighten my day," he said dreamily.
"Why?" I asked, my voice squeaking a half-octave too high.
"You're emotions always…make me happy." He said, speeding towards the school.
"I'm taking that as a compliment," I said, a giant smile plastered on my face.
We reached the school, and parked next to the red BMW. He rolled down my window and I saw Alice approaching the car. Oh, god. She looked cheerful enough as she gracefully walked towards the car, so I calmed down…or maybe that was Jasper's doing. She leaned into my window, and I caught wind of the beautiful flowery scent that enveloped her.
"Hey Jazz, Hey Devin. Jazz, are we still going hunt later?" she said, her voice beautiful like Rosalie's, but less angry.
"Jazz?" I asked amusedly.
"Nickname." He stated plainly. "Yes, Alice, we are."
"Then how is Devin getting home? I doubt Rosalie is gonna be willing to take him. And I doubt you would let her. She still hasn't forgiven him."
"You talk too much Alice. I'll just go pick up his truck before we leave."
"You're leaving?" I asked, trying to keep up with their conversation.
"Yes, after lunch. He wants to take every precaution possible. It's in his nature to worry. You should have see-"
"That's enough Alice," he said, cutting her off. "See you later, bye!"
She glared at him. "Bye baby brother," she said mockingly as she walked away just as gracefully as before.
"The bell's about to ring," he informed me.
I sighed, reluctant to leave his presence. "I'll see you at lunch."
"Yep, see you," he said, getting out of the car. I followed suit, getting out the car with much less grace.
I was surprised by how boring school was when Jasper wasn't involved. It seemed like he was the only thing I knew how to think about. All day I had been spewing wrong answers. Once, I even raised my hand (having the correct answer on the tip of my tongue) just to think of Jasper and lose my train of thought.
I was glaring at the clock, trying hard to make the last five minutes before lunch disappear. It wasn't working. I sighed and gave up. My Spanish teacher had stopped teaching, so I laid my head on the desk. Letting my mind wander, I started wondering where he could be taking me…
Finally, the bell rang. I grabbed my stuff and darted out of the room before anyone else could get to the door. I rushed to the cafeteria, and was one of the first to get there. Then the Cullens made their entrance. All of them walked in, just as they did on the first day, with perfect grace and nonchalance. Jasper broke from the group and started walking towards where we usually sat…towards me.
"Hello," he said, his voice sounding as incredible as ever.
"Hey," I said with an ear to ear grin. Hundreds of questions started forming in my mind. Jasper seemed to understand as he looked at me suspiciously.
"Yes?" he asked. I picked the first question that came to my mind.
"Why does Rosalie still hate me?"
"It's not that she hates you. Most of her rant was out of frustration. She doesn't see why I didn't just let you live your normal, vampire-less life. And since she feels this way, Emmet does too." I looked past Jasper and towards the Cullens. I examined Emmet's strong beefy arms. I certainly did not want to be on his bad side. "She'll get over it eventually, but right now she doesn't want to hate me, so she's putting the blame on you."
He saw my eyes widen, and chuckled.
"Don't worry. They won't hurt you. I wouldn't let them," he reassured me.
"So Alice and Edward don't hate me?" I asked, looking towards Alice.
"No, Alice and Edward actually like you."
That was a relief. At least someone was on my side…and if Edward could read minds…I saw him casually glance in my direction. I looked away quickly. Alice was staring blankly at the air in front of her. She broke from her trance to give me a look of wide-eyed disbelief. I looked around, confused as to what I had done. Then she gracefully rose from the table and drifted over to ours. She leaned over and whispered something into Jasper's ear. His facial expressions went from understanding, to incredulity, to anger, then back to normal. Alice glanced at me again and glided back to her table.
"What was that about?" I asked nervously.
"Oh nothing, Alice saw something," he said casually.
"What'd she see?" I asked him skeptically.
"Nothing important," he said, looking me in the eyes. I held his gaze, entranced by his now warm dark eyes. He released me from his gaze.
"You did that on purpose," I murmured.
"Maybe," he said smiling. Then I saw Alice and Edward walking towards us. I sighed. Edward was just as attractive as Jasper. His hair was a strange bronze color that seemed to work for him. I tried to keep my thoughts pure as they walked towards us. They reached the table and stood on either side of Jasper.
"Hey Devin," she said in her cheerful soprano. I tried to read her expression, but her shadowy eyes were unreadable.
"Hello Alice," I murmured shyly.
"Edward, Devin—Devin, Edward," Jasper introduced us, motioning his hand back and forth.
"Hello Devin," Edward said, with a crooked smiled that implied that he had been inside my brain. I found it hard to look him in the eyes.
"Um, hi" I said back.
"Are you ready?" Alice asked.
"Pretty much, I'll meet you at the car." He told them.
They walked hand in hand towards the cafeteria exit. I noticed several of the students stop to stare at them.
"Have fun?" I said, turning my attention back to Jasper.
He smiled. "I'll try. And you try not to have too much fun without me, okay?"
"Sure, I don't plan on any fun until tomorrow," I told him.
He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Whatever you say."
He rose from the table and fluidly walked away. I stared after him until he was gone.
I sat listlessly through biology, and faked sick in gym, watching the others from the bleachers. When the school day finally ended, I walked to the parking lot towards my truck. I opened the door and saw my keys in the ignition.
How did he get into my house?!
When I got home, the door was still locked, just like it was this morning. I shrugged it off. I guess nothing's off limits when you're a vampire. I went up stairs to take a nap. Anything to make the tomorrow come faster. Sleep came quicker than I thought it would, considering my level of excitement, but sure enough I was asleep in a matter of minutes.
I awoke to a strange light coming into my room. It wasn't the dim grey light that I had grown accustomed to; it was a brighter, more defined color. When I realized what this had to mean, I jumped up and ran to my window, flinging the curtains open to see the sun peeking out from a thin layer of clouds. Also, Steven was working today. I had a feeling that today was going to be a good day.
I dressed in a rush, grabbing a shirt and some shorts. I rushed downstairs, and grabbed a bowl of cereal. I quickly washed the bowl and spoon, keeping my eye on the clock the whole time. Then I ran back up the stairs to brush my teeth. I ran to the door and took a second to calm myself. I took a breath in, and slowly let it out.
I opened the door to see a shiny black car. The windows were pitch-black, so I couldn't see who was driving, although I had a pretty good idea of who it might be. I walked over to the passenger side of the car and got in. It smelled like new car. Sitting in the driver's seat, in all his glory, was Jasper Hale. He smiled widely at me when I got in the car.
"You like my new car?" he asked, still smiling.
"This is your car?" I asked incredulously.
"Of course, Edward got tired of me using his car for everything. So I got my own."
"Wow…"It must be nice to be able to just buy a car on a whim. "But, what are we going to do about my truck? Steven just about had a heart attack the last time I was gone without it."
"Alice," he replied simply, turning the key making the car purr to life.
He pulled out of the driveway and started speeding down the roads of Forks. I tried looking out of the windows, but they were tinted so dark that I could barely make out the trees we were speeding past. I was afraid to let down my window considering the speed at which we were traveling, so I just settled for watching Jasper.
I felt the car slow down and veer to the side of the road. I looked at Jasper in alarm.
"Umm, where are you taking me?!" I asked, hysteria slipping into my voice.
"Hiking," he said with a smirk.
"…I…don't…hike."
"It's only a few miles or so, and we've got all day."
"How do I know you aren't taking me into the woods just to kill me?"
"You don't," he replied with a grin.
I got out of the car and was suddenly glad I was wearing shorts. It was hotter today than it had ever been in Forks since I got there. I looked up and saw that the sun was hidden behind the thin veil of clouds I had seen earlier. I sighed. There was a trail before us, but Jasper started walking into the dark of the forest.
"Umm, where do you think you're going? There's a trail, you know."
"I see the trail, but where we're going, we won't need a trail." He said, his voice seeming to lure me in. He turned back towards the forest and plunged in. "This way,"
I quickly walked behind him, not wanting to get lost. It wasn't as bad as I had previously expected. Jasper held most of the jungle-y crap out of my way. And when we came to fallen trees, he would help me across them, sending my heart fluttering. Because of this, I tried my best to keep from looking at him. We walked in a tense silence the whole way, reminding me of the tension in the dark classroom.
Since I was fairly incompetent when it came to hiking, it took us most of the morning to reach our destination. The forest around us allowed for a very small amount of light, but Jasper seemed to know exactly where he was going. He was patient, and didn't complain when I said I needed a second to catch my breath.
While I was resting, the dark of the forest became less dim as the sun must have come out from under the clouds.
"Are we there yet?" I asked impatiently.
"Almost," he said, smiling. "Can't you see the brightness up ahead?"
I looked around me. "All I see is the brightness above me. Should I?"
"Maybe your human eyes can't see it yet," he teased.
"Stupid vampire," I muttered. He smiled.
After a few more yards, I could see a light ahead. I noticed that even though I clunked noisily through the forest, Jasper made absolutely no sound as he maneuvered through the dense trees. Up ahead, I could see the source of light that called to me.
I stepped through the trees into what had to be the most beautiful place I had ever seen. The meadow was a small circle of soft grass with wildflowers spread sparsely through the field. When I looked up, I could see the sun shining gloriously down into the beautiful meadow. I walked into the center of it, and in the distance I could hear a stream flowing. I turned around to tell Jasper how beautiful it was when I noticed he wasn't there…
"Jasper?!" I called.
"I'm here," he said, sounding detached. I spun around to the sound of his voice, sighing in relief.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Well…I don't burn in the sun, but…" he broke off.
"Well what?" I asked.
"I should just show you." He said reluctantly. He took a deep breath and stepped out into the sun.
I was in awe. I was awestruck. I literally had to remind myself to breathe. It was easily the most breathtakingly beautiful thing I had ever seen. His beautiful pale skin glittered and glowed in the sunlight, as if his skin were made of microscopic diamonds. He stepped towards me as I watched in a daze. He stopped walking, inches away from my face.
"Do I scare you?" he asked.
"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to." I replied breathlessly.
He smiled widely, his teeth shining in the sun. He sat down on the grass. I followed suit, not taking my eyes away from his glorious shining face.
"What are you thinking?" he asked, leaning closer. Once again, I could smell the intoxicating scent of his breath. It made my mouth water. I leaned in closer, breathing in the scent…wanting more.
He was gone. When my eyes focused, I saw that he was back behind the veil of the trees. He stared at me in a strange mix of sadness and alarm displayed in his golden eyes. I could feel the shock on my face, and he could probably feel it…
"I'm sorry…" he said. "Just give me a moment."
I sat quietly on the grass, hugging my knees to my chest. After a few seconds, he walked back over, stopping a few feet away. He descended gracefully to the ground, crossing his legs. He took a few deep breaths and then smiled.
"I'm really sorry, I wish I had better control." He said apologetically.
Then I felt a fresh wave of fear come over me. He turned his head, breaking the eye contact, feeling my fear. I felt the adrenaline rushing through my veins.
"We're the worlds greatest predators aren't we?" he said thoughtfully. "Everything about us attracts you—my voice, my body, even my smell! And we don't even need to use any of that!" He jumped up, running towards the forest, faster than my eyes could follow. I saw a blur of light circle me.
"You can't outrun us," he laughed.
He stopped beside a tree, and then pulled a branch effortlessly from the trunk. He threw it over my head at another tree on the other side of the meadow, causing it to burst into pieces. I scrambled to my feet, instinct preparing me to run, when I realized what Jasper had just said.
I turned around, and he appeared in front of me. Inches away.
"As if you could fight me off," he whispered gently.
I stood frozen in fear before him. I couldn't help thinking about how marvelously beautiful he was. His eyes glowed with bizarre exhilaration. Then they slowly melted into a look of deep remorse.
"I'm sorry. Don't be afraid." He murmured. It didn't reassure me. "I won't hurt you. I don't want to. I want you to be safe…I'm so sorry…" he trailed off, muttering to himself.
I sank back to the ground, hugging my knees, unable to stand any longer. He also fell to the ground, watching me the whole time with cautious eyes. I worked on calming myself. Jasper seemed to realize this. Either that or he just wanted me to calm down because soon I felt the tension leave my body.
"Don't worry, I'm not thirsty or anything. I just lost control for a little bit…please forgive me? It won't happen again." He said calmly.
I couldn't bring myself to speak. I was afraid my voice would crack or I'd break free of the shroud of calmness that surrounded me. I rocked back and forth, looking down at the grass, unable to hold his gaze.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently, reaching out to put his cold hand on my shoulder. I stopped rocking, and then looked from his hand to his warm eyes. I smiled timidly.
He smiled back, his eyes, his hair, his teeth, glowing in the sunlight.
"What are you thinking?" he asked again.
"Even though I'm afraid, I'm more afraid of you leaving…" I muttered.
"This is why I should be leaving. We crave each other far too much, but I promised you that I wouldn't leave and that's a promise I hope to keep."
"What?" I marveled. He had said we craved each other. What did he mean by that?
"I said I'm not leaving," he replied quietly.
"No, not that, what did you say about us…craving…each other? I asked hesitantly.
"Do you deny that you want me?"
"No…you…want...me?"
"I hope you weren't under the impression that I only lusted for your blood," he said, leaning in closer. I couldn't tell whether his voice was seductive on purpose or not. Either way, I couldn't breathe.
"This is why," he continued. "You are in more danger than anyone else." He was looking intensely into my eyes. I sat with my mouth agape, trying desperately to make my lungs start working again.
"Is that why you left?" I asked, remembering his disappearance when I first came to Forks.
"Yes, when I saw you at lunch, I froze. Alice said she saw so many things happen so fast that the only thing she could think to do was tell me to get the hell out of there before I massacred everyone. Then, in biology, I thought I could handle it…Big mistake. Then I took a little road trip to clear my head…" he trailed off.
"I knew it was me…" I muttered under my breath.
"You?!" he asked incredulously.
"Yes, me…"
"No, it was my fault that I had so little control…that I couldn't stand to be close to you because I wanted to so much…You smelled so…appealing."
I shivered. I stood and started pacing, trying to gather my thoughts.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Just thinking…" I muttered.
"Tell me what you're thinking." he said eagerly, rising to his feet.
"Why did you run away from me before?" I asked.
"You couldn't tell?" he said, his tone was serious.
"No, what did I do wrong?"
"Well…it was just how close you were. I could smell the blood…hear it pumping through your veins…I was unprepared…"
"Okay, so don't get too close?" I asked.
"No, it's not that, I was just taken by surprise." He smiled.
"Hmm…" I wonder…
"Yes?" he asked, eagerly taking a step forward. He was just a few feet in front of me.
"So…" I said, choosing my words carefully, "you like me right?"
"Yes," he said in his effortlessly smooth voice.
"Like really like me, right?" I asked, still unsure.
"I'm attracted to you if that's what you mean." He said, making my heart flutter.
"Okay…I want to tr-try something…"
"Like what?"
"…like a kiss maybe?" I asked shyly.
He smiled. That was reassuring. I was feeling a bit more confident. Then, his smile faded as his expression became more thoughtful.
"I'm not sure if I have that much restraint." He said, still thinking.
"Please, we can at least try, and if things don't work ou-"
"You die…" he informed me.
He looked at me, probably gauging my emotions with his unusual talent. I wasn't sure what expression was on my face.
"Okay, let's hope I don't kill you." He said with a sigh. He smiled again, "You really shouldn't be so happy about this."
"That whole power thing is going to get annoying," I informed him. I took a step forward, still a bit apprehensive. I looked into his eyes as they gazed into mine. Slowly, he leaned in and our lips met. His lips were cold and smooth, moving cautiously against mine. I felt a chill roll down my spine.
Unexpectedly, I felt warm all over. I reached around and put my hand in his hair, trying to pull him closer. Not being able to get enough of this amazing experience.
I felt him freeze beneath my grasp. Then, I felt his hand firmly grab my wrist and remove my hand from the back of his head. I opened my eyes to see his golden eyes filled with fear and apprehension.
"Uh, oops," I said, still a bit dazed.
"Oops doesn't even begin to cover it, this is your life we're risking your…give me another moment." He said, running into the forest for the second time.
Then I saw him reappear at the edge of the trees, walking towards me.
"Jasper, I'm really sorry." I said, filled with remorse.
"You don't seem to value your life as much as I do, but its okay. Just try to give me some kind of warning next time, okay?" he asked. I couldn't concentrate, captivated by the thought of there being a next time.
"Devin? You okay?"
"Uh, yeah, just a little umm…stunned." I told him truthfully.
"Were my kissing skills that good?" he asked, laughing.
"Dazzling" I told him sarcastically.
This was all so shocking for me. I had just kissed Jasper Hale. And he wanted me to…wow…
He stood there, staring at me. It made me uncomfortable. I looked up at the sky, the sun was setting. The light in the meadow was fading, and the golden light had faded to grey.
"Time to go?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"I guess…" he said reluctantly. "Can I show you something?"
"Show me what?"
"Can I show you how vampires get through the forest?" he said eagerly.
"You don't turn into a giant bat do you?" I asked warily.
He laughed. "I told you already, all myth."
"Just making sure."
"Okay, get on my back."
I just looked at him, waiting for a 'just kidding' or a 'gotcha!' or something, but then I realized he was serious. He held out his arm, and I looked at him skeptically. He smiled reassuringly.
"I won't hurt you, and it'll be a lot faster than hiking all the way back," he said persuasively.
"Fine," I sighed.
He slung me on his back effortlessly and I clung to him for dear life. I wrapped my hands around his icy cold neck, and pressed my knees into his sides. Though I'm sure I should have been choking him, he didn't show any signs of discomfort.
"Ready?" he asked excitedly.
He didn't wait for my answer as he started running. He darted through the trees faster than a bullet. I couldn't hear his feet, just the rustle of leaves around us. Limbs and branches passed around me at lethal speeds, but he maneuvered around them gracefully. I closed my eyes, and rested my head on his back, fearing to keep my eyes open any longer. I felt calmness wash over me, and I got more confident, raising my head up to see the edge of the trees up ahead. What had taken us hours to hike, took him minutes to run.
"That was fun wasn't it?" he asked excitedly as I awkwardly descended from his back.
"Umm, sure…" I said, feeling the veil of calmness leaving me.
"Are you okay?" he asked anxiously.
"Yeah, I just need to sit still for a second." I crouched down on the ground, putting my head between my knees.
"I'm sorry, that was a bad idea." he said. He sounded so close. I lifted my head to see him crouched in front of me, his face inches away from mine. He reached out his hand, offering to help me up. I grasped his icy hand as he gently pulled me up. He didn't let go of my hand as he led me to the car, opening the door and making sure I was able to get in. I turned on my side in the car, resting the side of my face on the cold seat. A second later, Jasper was starting the car. He turned and smiled at me, reaching out his hand to brush it against my cheek. The coolness felt good against my warm skin. Then we started speeding back towards Forks.
A/N: OMJ! I absolutely loved writing this chapter. And I love my new reviews!! : D.
Link to Jasper's car on my profile page! :)