Chapter 10:

A/N: Sorry about the delay, I wanted to finish two chapters before I posted so that I could give a bit of a prediction at the end. And also I wanted to always have one ready just in case. And I'm also going to have to get over the fact that the numbers dont match up... :(

Hope you haven't forgotten about me…I haven't been seeing very many reviews…

We interrupt this program to bring you a message from our sponsors :)

OMG did yall see the Trailer?? It was AMAZING!! I absolutely cannot wait till Nov. 21. Anyways….

Back to our regularly scheduled program Enjoy :)

Chapter 10: So much for today being a good day…

"C'mon you guys! You ready?" Alice said, her eyes twinkled, full of mischief.

I heard what sounded like an angry rumble from above us. Then Emmet, Rosalie, and Alice darted into the giant baseball field.

"Have fun," I told Jasper. He bent down and gave me a quick kiss before darting off to join his siblings on the field. Then I realized it was just me and Esme left standing away from the field.

"Aren't you gonna play with them?" I asked her.

She turned and gave me a warm, motherly smile. "No, I like to referee. Keeps them from cheating." She explained.

"They cheat?" I asked.

"You have no idea. Alice and Edward especially. Want to get closer?" she said as she started walking at a human pace towards the field. I caught up with her and she quickly matched my pace.

"Couldn't Alice just tell us who wins?" I asked, looking reluctantly at the clouds overhead.

"Probably, but that wouldn't be fair. What if someone changed their mind or made a split decision? You can't always take the easy way out."

"You sound like my mother…"

At this, she laughed the sound of wind chimes.

"Well I think the mothering instinct carried over from my human life. That's the way it is for us. We stay the way we are when we're bitten and it takes something major to change us after that." Her expression turned thoughtful for a second, but she kept walking. "I do think of them as my children. I lost a child before I—was bitten." She noticed my puzzled expression. " Jasper did tell you our stories, didn't he?"

"No ma'am…" I replied.

"So polite, but you can call me Esme. Well, it looks like we'll have to have a story-telling night!" she said cheerfully. Somehow I didn't think it was going to be a cheerful matter. "I can't believe Jasper hasn't told you them yet…"

"I got the feeling his past was a touchy subject." I told her.

"Ah, It is. That's why I'm so glad he found you…He needs a bit of love in his life. "

"So, it doesn't bother you that I'm a guy at all?" I asked sheepishly.

"Heavens no! Love is Love, and it shouldn't matter who you love. And if you didn't show up I'm sure Jasper would have taken up Tanya's offer out of sheer desperation."

"Wait, What?!" I almost yelled.

"Oh, Tanya's a bit flirtatious…She fancied Edward once, but once Alice came along she gave up on that dream and moved on to trying to convince Jasper she could turn him straight."

I felt a slight twinge of jealousy. So there was competition. It did occur to me that Jasper had chosen me, and hadn't run off with Tanya, but it still bothered me.

"We're here," she said, waking me from my thoughts. I looked up and saw that teams had already been formed. It was the Hales and Carlisle versus Edward, Alice, and Emmet. Jasper was far out in left field, Carlisle stood between the first and second bases, and Rosalie held the ball, positioned on the spot that must be the pitcher's mound. Alice was acting as catcher for the other team.

Emmet was swinging what I assumed to be a bat through the air. He was swinging it so fast that all I could make out was a grey blur of aluminum. He was standing so far away from Rosalie that I was sure the ball would never reach him.

"All right," Esme called in a clear voice, which I knew even Jazz would hear, as far out as he was. "Batter up."

Then Rosalie kissed the baseball in her hand before giving what I imagined was the fastest windup in baseball history. Her arm was still spinning as the ball landed in Alice's ungloved hand.

Alice threw the ball back into Rosalie's waiting hands. She smiled at Emmet, and then wound up again. This time Emmet managed to hit the ball and it went flying through the forest. I heard a deafening crack that sounded like a lightning strike as the bat made contact with the ball. I instinctively covered my ears. Now I see why they needed a storm…

"Does that mean it's a home run?" I asked Esme.

"Not, yet. Watch for Jasper." I observed the field. I saw Emmet traveling at inhuman speeds around the super spaced out bases and Jasper was….gone? Emmet made it all the way back to the home plate before I saw Jasper emerge from the forest with the ball in his hand.

"Out," Esme yelled.

The inning continued before my incredulous eyes. It was impossible to keep up with the speed at which the ball flew, and the rate at which their bodies raced around the field.

One time Jasper threw the ball to Carlisle, who crashed into Emmet. It sounded like two boulders being rubbed together by a giant. My eyes widened with shock and worry, but they both seemed to be fine. They continued to play and surprisingly, it held my interest. Then it started to rain.

I loved the rain. I closed my eyes and stood there letting it fall on my head, not bothering to pull up my hood.

Then I heard Alice gasp, and everyone's focus turned to her. I think I heard Edward say 'oh shit' but I wasn't sure. Then all of them ran towards Alice. I could only hear glimpses of what they were saying since they were so far away.

"I couldn't tell," I heard Alice say. "They were quicker than I thought."

"They must have heard us," I heard Esme say.

"Are we going to have to fight?" I heard Emmet add sounding slightly excited.

"What about Devin," Rosalie said.

Then they all turned to me. I suddenly realized what they were talking about. Jasper's words from earlier echoed in my mind. It's nothing really, Alice saw some visitors coming in the near future, that's all.

"How much time do we have?" Carlisle asked.

"Less than five minutes." Alice replied. "Not enough time to run…not even for Edward."

Jasper was staring at me wide-eyed. He was the only one who hadn't said anything the whole time. We locked eyes and I couldn't tear my fearful eyes away from his.

"We'll just continue the game, they're probably just curious." Carlisle told everyone calmly.

"Esme, you take my place." Jasper told her as he made his way over to me. Then he turned to Alice. "Are they hungry?" he asked her.

She shook her head no. He sighed in relief, but I could still see the tension in his body as he approached me. The game continued as usual, but this time they were a lot closer in and the ball never left the clearing.

When he reached me he gave me a hug, and before releasing me he said, "Just keep quiet, and don't move. I'll keep you safe."

I stood next to him and pretended to watch the much less enthusiastic game, knowing that in a few minutes my life could be in mortal peril.

I knew things had started when Jasper stopped breathing. I saw him look towards the forest, hearing things my human ears never could.

Then they emerged from the forest. The first one out was a man wearing a leather jacket without a shirt underneath. His face and chest were smudged with dirt and his long blonde hair was pulled back into a pony-tail. His jeans were ripped and he wore no shoes. Flanking him to the right was a woman with red hair. Something about her facial expression made her look very roguish. Her eyes shifted constantly between the eight of us. I didn't fail to notice the gleam in her eye when she looked at me. Flanking the first male on the right was another man. He was tall with long dreadlocks. His skin was dark, almost black.

They walked forward slowly and uneasily, as if they were expecting an attack. They were all covered in dirt and leaves, and all barefoot. Upon seeing the Cullen's more civilized demeanor, they too stood up a bit straighter but still approached with caution. The thing that set them apart the most was their dark red eyes.

Carlisle, Edward, and Emmet went to meet them down the field. The blonde one, the leader I assumed, flashed a brilliantly white smile. As they walked I noticed the hungry look in the leader's eyes. He looked alert and slightly enthused.

"Hello, I'm James, these are Laurent and Victoria," he said. His tone sounded more cultured and polite than I expected.

"Hello, I am Carlisle. This is my family, Emmet, Devin, and Jasper, Rosalie, Alice and Esme." He said calmly.

James nodded, looking at us all as Carlisle pointed us out. "We heard a game. Is there any room for us to play?"

"No, we were just about to go home." Carlisle replied sociably.

"Home?" Laurent said from beside James. I noticed he had a slight French accent.

"Yes, we have a home nearby." Carlisle told them.

"How do you manage this?" Laurent asked, truly curious.

"How about you come with us to our house and we'll explain?" Carlisle suggested.

I noticed the woman, Victoria's eyes widened.

"We'd like that," James said with a hospitable smile.

"Also," Edward said. "We ask that you don't hunt in the area. We wouldn't want to raise suspicion."

"No worries, we just finished hunting outside of Seattle." James said with a laugh. I felt like I was going to be sick after he said this. Then I suddenly felt my stomach unclench and my system start to calm down. Jasper.

"We'll show you the way—Edward and Alice, you go with Jasper and Devin to the Jeep." He said calmly. I felt an uncontrollable yawn overtake me. I raised my hand to cover my mouth as I closed my eyes and yawned deeply.

When I opened my eyes again, three pairs of red eyes were focused intently on me. Victoria slowly fell into a crouch, but James raised his hand to tell her to stop. My emotions must have reached a whole new level because even Jasper couldn't stop my heart from speeding up.

"What do we have here?" Victoria said mischievously through gritted teeth.

"Now, Victoria, we already said we wouldn't hunt in their territory."

"He is with us," Carlisle added firmly.

"Do you usually bring concessions to your baseball games?" James said with a smirk. Somehow I didn't find his joke to be funny. Neither did any of the Cullens.

"He does smell quite nice," Laurent said, taking a step forward.

This time Rosalie spoke up with irritancy clear in her voice as she spoke from across the field. "He said he's with us."

James smiled devilishly. "Is he yours?" he mused. "Doesn't really look like your type, doll."

Then James did the unexpected. He rushed towards me. I barely had time to gasp before Jasper was crouched and growling in front of me. James stopped abruptly in front of him.

"Ooh, what do we have here? Very interesting." He said, sounding intrigued for some reason.

He straightened up his stance and turned back to Carlisle. "We won't hunt the human, and we would gladly accept your invitation."

Carlisle looked uncertain, but he nodded.

Then James turned back to me and gave me a weird look, as if I was something he was planning to buy.

"Jasper, you all take Devin home." Carlisle said from across the field.

"C'mon Devin—Edward, Alice?" Jasper said as he started walking towards the forest. I followed, with Alice and Edward close behind me, into the forest. I barely breached the trees before Jasper grabbed me and slung my onto his back. He took of running without even asking if I was ready. I closed my eyes tightly and held on for dear life as he traveled faster than he ever had with me.

I hopped off his back once we reached the Jeep. Edward and Alice reached the jeep just as we did. Jasper didn't seem to be talking to me so I didn't make any attempts to talk to him either. He flung the door to the backseat open and lifted me in almost roughly into the seat. Then he closed the door and disappeared to the driver's seat.

"Strap him in," he told Edward, who was also sitting in the backseat.

Then he started the Jeep and sped down the dirt road. I saw Edward whispering something too low for me to hear.

"I KNOW, EDWARD! I WAS THERE!" He yelled. I realized then that I had never heard him yell nor seen him angry.

"You don't have to yell at him!" Alice hissed through bared teeth.

"What's going on?" I asked. No one seemed to hear me as they continued to argue.

"Just because he can read people's minds, doesn't mean he knows everything!" Jasper said enraged.

Edward growled, giving Jasper a death-glare from the back seat.

"What's GOING ON?!" I interjected, unable to take anymore of their yelling. This seemed to bring them back to their senses, but they still didn't answer me. Edward and Alice simply looked out of their windows and Jasper focused on the road. Then the sky lit up as lightning flashed through the sky.

"I'm sorry you guys, that was uncalled for…" Jasper mumbled. I suddenly felt the familiar feeling of calmness that he usually produced.

"Okay, now what's going on?" I asked calmly, noticing that we were getting farther and farther away from Forks.

They still seemed reluctant to answer.

"Answer me!" I yelled (calmly). "I don't understand! They said they would leave me alone!"

This time Edward spoke up. "Devin, what James said was totally different from what he was thinking."

"I don't think he would be stupid enough to cross all seven of us, and I've already checked. They won't be leaving till morning." Alice chimed in.

"Then we're taking you home, but I'm staying." Jasper said decidedly. Then he sped back towards Forks.

The atmosphere inside the car was tense the rest of the way. It had started raining again, and everyone seemed to be focusing on their respective windows. When we got to the house I noticed that Steven had left every light on and was most likely sitting in the living room waiting on me.

I ran through the rain to the door and quickly made my way in. Just as I predicted, Steven was sitting in the living room watching TV.

"Hey," he said cautiously. I struggled to think of the facial expressions I was supposed to be displaying for him right now. Something told me panicked and upset wouldn't work out so well.

"Hey, Dad." I said, hoping he wasn't perceptive enough to see through my forced enthusiasm.

"So?" he asked. "How was it?"

"Fine," I told him. "Turns out I like baseball more than I thought."

"You had fun?" he asked incredulously. I let out another unintentional yawn.

"Yep," I told him. "But I think I'm gonna go to bed now, I'm exhausted." The truth was that I needed to find out what the hell is going on.

"Okay, goodnight," he said simply before turning back to the TV.

I hurried upstairs and bypassed my room and headed directly for the shower. I got back to my room and saw Jasper looking out the window with a troubled look upon his face. I got in the bed and made myself comfortable before addressing him.

"So, are you gonna tell me what's going on?" I asked quietly.

"James is a tracker…" he muttered. "He chooses a prey and hunts it down. Edward saw inside his mind. It's his passion, his obsession. And it's all a game to him. The fact that I'm defending you makes the game even more exciting to him."

I thought about the strange look he gave me earlier at the field. I shuddered.

Jasper turned around as if I had called his name.

"Don't be afraid. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." He said, sliding into bed next to me.

"I know…" I told him, having him there calmed me, even without the powers. "What was all that yelling about in the car?"

"That was my fault. Whenever I feel a strong emotion, it tends to spread to my surroundings." He explained.

"I'm sorry…" I muttered. This was all my fault. If I had never yawned, they probably wouldn't have even noticed I was human.

"You thought I was mad at you?!" he asked.

"Well, it seemed like it." I said timidly.

"Of course not. I was mad at myself for putting you in that situation."

"Please don't blame yourself. This couldn't have been prevented. It was no one's fault." I assured him.

He smiled, which made me smile too. "You should try to get some sleep. School's in the morning." He reminded me.

It seemed like forever since I last went to school. Then I realized that it had only been two days.

"Okay," I told him, hiving him a quick kiss goodnight. Sleep came easier than I expected, considering the fact that there could be a creepy (kinda sexy) vampire planning my death. But that was probably because of the beautiful vampire lying next to me.

I woke up the next morning to a sight that I'm sure no one would object to. Jasper was quietly lying beside me, watching me sleep. There's something about waking up next to a vampire that just lets you know it's going to be a good day.

"Good morning," he said quietly. "How did you sleep?"

I thought about it for a second and realized that I couldn't remember. I was too tired to dream, and I felt pretty well rested, so I guessed that meant it was good.

"Fine, I guess." I concluded.

"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes…Why?" I asked, slightly worried.

"You were tossing and turning all night. I had to move out of the way."

"Really? Hmm…I was probably just worried." I told him, slightly embarrassed.

"I already told you," he said, looking deeply into my eyes. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Technically I wasn't worrying, my subconscious was." I corrected him.

"But your subconscious mind is merely an indication of your conscious mind." He replied. I didn't even want to argue with him. I'm sure he had entire libraries stored in that vampire brain of his.

I stuck my tongue out at him childishly, and got out of bed. School felt so…unnecessary to me. It didn't seem nearly as important to me as spending time with Jasper. But I still went to my closet to find something to wear anyway. Jasper went downstairs as I got dressed, and also waited with me as I ate breakfast (Steven was already gone by then). I wondered how he could just sit there not doing anything for all that time. Watching me could not be that interesting.

We walked outside and I noticed Jasper's car sitting in the driveway.

"How—? " I started.

"I had Alice bring it over after your father left." He explained, walking over to the driver's side. I opened the passenger door and slid in. We got to school in record time and I was apprehensive to leave the car. I really didn't want to face Angela's interrogation. I noticed the rest of the Cullens pull up next to us. They had gone back to using Edward's car, but that was hardly important now.

I got out of the car—Jasper following my lead—and turned towards Angela and Ben Cheney, a short nerdy looking guy, standing near Ben's car. Were they dating? I'd have to ask her about that later.

I started walking in their direction when I felt something cold in my hand. I slowly turned my head to my right. Jasper smiled reassuringly, but that didn't stop my heart from jumping in my throat. Jasper abruptly let go of my hand. I looked at the slightly disheartened look he was trying to hide. I took a deep breath and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards Angela and Ben. His eyes lit up immediately. It made me smile.

"Hey, Ange," I called. Ben turned and shock flooded his face.

"Oh, Hey Devin!" she said, giving me a hug. "Hey, Jasper.

He gave her an uneasy smile. "Hello, Angela." He muttered shyly. Ben seemed to be trying to form words, but it looked to me as if he had forgotten how to speak. Instead, he simply sat there with his mouth open, looking back and forth between me and Jasper. I gave Jasper a meaningful look, which he seemed to understand because shortly after, I felt the calming effects of his ability.

"Hey, Ben." I said confidently, testing his ability to speak.

"Uh…Hey…Devin," he said, looking slightly baffled. I smiled then nodded. "Hey…Jasper?" it sounded like a question.

"Hello, Ben," Jasper replied. I laughed at the awkwardness of the situation, and luckily the ball rang, signaling that we should move to our first class. Jasper gave me a quick hug before walking off towards his first class. I smiled a little at Ben's ever-widening eyes, and started walking towards English with Angela and Ben.

Once we sat down, my interrogation started. Surprisingly, I had two interrogators. I was getting hit with questions from both sides. 'You're gay?' 'I had no idea' 'How was Seattle?' 'So, he's you're boyfriend?' etc.

I made it through the rest of the hour, answering questions while the teacher wasn't looking. Then I sat distantly through the rest of my classes, waiting desperately for the bell to ring for lunch. Then finally, the bell rang. I walked out of Spanish to see Jasper quietly waiting as the other students passed him by. We smiled at each other, and then walked hand in hand towards the cafeteria.

After we got our plates Jasper paused in the middle of the cafeteria. "Where do you want to sit?"

I shrugged, not really caring where we sat. "Do you want to sit with your friends?" he asked.

"Not particularly..." What gave him that idea? The thought of sitting with him and them made my skin crawl. "How about we sit in our usual spot," I said, leading him to our usual table.

"So, How has your day been so far?," he asked, staring over my shoulder.

I turned around to follow his gaze, when I met eyes with Jessica Stanley.

"What…" I asked.

He frowned. "She's talking about us…" I felt a sudden surge of anger that I knew wasn't mine.

"Don't worry about her," I told him. "She's not important."

He smiled at this, and I felt the cloud of anger slowly fade.

"It's weird…I usually have control over my emotions…but I meet you and everything changes…" he said, wrapped up in thought.

"Why is that?" I asked, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I think being around you is making some of my more…human qualities reappear." He said.

I laughed. "Like anger?"

"Among other things," he said mysteriously.

"Ooh, what else have I brought back to life?" I asked.

He hesitated, then frowned. "…lust," he muttered.

My smile widened. "What was that? I don't think I heard you."

He glared.

"I really don't see why we can't."

He sighed. Then before he had a chance to speak his whole body stiffened.

"What is it?" I asked, but then I saw Alice rise from the table across the room and make her way over to us.

"Did you see something?" I asked.

She nodded.

"It's him isn't it?" I asked. "The tracker…he's coming for me, isn't he."

She looked at Jasper.

"Yes," he said simply. I suddenly felt really anxious. There was a crazy vampire out for my annihilation. And without a valid reason at that…

"Okay, we have two options." Alice said. "We could leave, or-"

"Alice." Jasper said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Never mind then…" she muttered.

"We need to get you out of here." Jasper stated, looking me directly in the eyes.

"Why? He won't attack while I'm at school will he?"

"No, he hasn't even left the house yet, but he'll follow your scent so we'll need a head start." He said gravely.

"How much time do we have?" I asked Alice.

"They're leaving around 4…" she said quietly.

"What about Steven?" I asked, suddenly realizing where my scent would lead the tracker.

"That's what I saw…" Alice said absentmindedly.

"You saw him kill my dad?!"

"No! I just saw him looking around." She corrected. "Your father wasn't there."

I sighed in relief. What were we going to do? What if he waited there for me and then Steven came home?

"I have to leave…" I said blankly as I realized what I would have to do. "I have to leave a note telling Steven I need to leave…Then I'll pack…and we'll leave."

"Devin, Are you okay?" Jasper asked.

"It sounds like a good idea." Alice said from beside him. "That gives the rest of them time to track him down."

"I'm fine…" I said vacantly trying to picture the look on Steven's face when he read the note I was planning to leave. I rose from the table, not answering the questioning looks the Cullens were giving me, and went over to Angela.

"Hey, Ange" I said, interrupting her conversation with Ben.

"Hey, Dev—you don't look so well, are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm feeling a little sick. I'm gonna check out." I lied. "Jasper's taking me home." I added, thinking of a reason for him to be missing also.

"Okay," she said.

"Call me okay?" she added as I started walking away. I smiled at her then motioned for Jasper to follow me as I left the cafeteria.

Once we got outside, I went to his car and started writing the letter to my dad. I tried to make it convincing enough for my adversary to believe. I couldn't risk losing Steven.

When I finished the letter, we drove to my house, where I read over it another time, just to make sure…

Dear Dad,

I can't take it anymore. I hate it here. I miss home, I miss mom, and I can't stand the people here. You should see the way they looked at me today. I'm so sorry for leaving like this. I know I should have waited till you got home, but I didn't want you to try and talk me out of it. I'm taking the money I have saved and using it to get a plane ticket. I promise to call you when I get there.

Love,

Devin.

Jasper went upstairs and helped me pack my clothes. I threw a bunch of clothes on my bed and he started folding them and putting them into a duffel bag. I had just finished getting my toiletries when something occurred to me.

"You can't come with me…' I told him.

"What?"

"You can't. Think about the letter...Steven will think we ran away together." I warned him.

He didn't answer. He just frowned.

"Alice and…" I started to say Edward, but I really didn't want him reading my mind the whole time. "Alice can come with me." I corrected.

"I guess," he started. "But I won't be far behind. I'm only staying as long as I have to."

I walked over to him and gave him a tight hug. I didn't want to be separated from him. I needed him. I l-…I just need him.

I heard a knock on my window and saw Alice perched on my windowsill. I opened the window to let her in, and then shut it tightly, locking it.

"You ready Devin?" She asked cautiously. "I see Jasper isn't coming with us."

I smiled half-heartedly and nodded. I turned back to Jasper to make sure we all had the plan straight.

"Okay, so Alice and I will take a plane to Louisiana. While we're there, Emmet and the rest of you track James down and…" I couldn't really think of what I was going to say. Would they kill him just for me? Could he be killed?

"We'll track down James and then I'll come and bring you home," Jasper interjected, brushing my cheek with his cold hand.

I nodded. "Let's get this over with," I said apathetically. Then we went downstairs and I left my house for what could very well have been the last time…

A/N: Again, sorry for the delay. Please review. I can't stress it enough. And tell your friends. I want feedback so I can know what I need to do better, any mistakes I've made, or any of your suggestions. ANYTHING. I'm still trying to flesh out the course of the story, because there's no way it's gonna follow the same course as Stephenie's. I'm also trying to figure out how this whole James thing is gonna work out…hmm. Hopefully you will enjoy it all and you will give me plenty of beautiful, wonderful, amazing reviews. :F (vampire smiley)