In the year 2020, Vampires took control of society and ordered all humans placed in vampire custody. The people who were not captured formed a Resistance movement, headed by the Human Council, who began to plan the Insurgence.

I am, of course, indebted to Stephenie Meyer for this world we all play in, and these characters we all adore. Additionally, I am indebted to hitntr01, who has graciously allowed me to use certain concepts from her wonderful story "In Need of Rescue", which constitute much of the background of my own story. These include: the language Vampiri, the Rules, the machines used to draw blood from humans, Manners Training, and the plot theme of Edward working as a guard at a facility holding humans. Thank you, hitntr01.

Chapter 37– The Ardella Situation, Part 3 – The Deal

JASPER'S POV

I was going home to deal with this situation.

When I got home, I closed the door loudly, so that even a human would know that someone had entered the house. I walked slowly across the living room at human speed. Even with the curtains drawn as usual, the room still gleamed in white in the half light, due to the white carpeting and white upholstery on the furniture. I could hear Ardella's heartbeat accelerate with nervousness at my entrance. Good, that would make my job even easier.

I walked up the stairs to the second bedroom, the room we kept Ardella in, and stood in the doorway with my arms crossed. Ardella was sitting on her simple bed, in her sparsely decorated room. A bed and an old dresser were the only pieces of furniture that we had put in the room. There was a small closet by the bricked over window, but it was empty as she didn't have any clothes or other belongings to store in it.

Just as Alice had described over the phone, Ardella was dressed in black leggings, an oversized white shirt, and black ballet flats. She should have been wearing the clothes we provided, an undyed cotton dress. When I reached the door to her room, she was sitting on her bed, staring at Alice. When she saw me, she automatically dropped to her knees on the floor, bowing her head, in the standard human submissive position.

I picked up a cocktail of emotions coming from her, including fear, excitement, and determination. There was barely any of trace of the despair and depression I had felt for the past two years.

I gave the Vampiri command for her to go to the exsanguination machine.

Surprisingly, she slowly raised her head, and stated simply, "I want my baby back." Her heart rate accelerated, and I allowed a pause. The determination in her emotions waivered than shot back up. She looked up at me, and I stared directly at her, towering above her from her position on the floor. The determination she was feeling, mixed with the rising fear, was beginning to draw my respect. I quashed that feeling of respect quickly.

My only response to her statement was the slow repetition of my command. At this, she began to speak, in a wavering voice that grew stronger as she spoke. "I see the neck and mane of a horse, white with golden-red spots. I see a dirt road and a landscape that opens out flat in all directions. The horse pauses to eat from a small scrabble of grass. The reins slip though the rider's hand, as he allows the horse his head. Looking down, I see the rider is wearing a gray shirt and pants. There are gold stars on the shirt pocket."

"On the road ahead, there is a slight rise," her voice continues, her eyes moving as if she is viewing the events she is describing. "I can hear the sound of water on the other side. As the horse reaches the top of the hill, it becomes skittish and fights going forward. I see three women at the foot of the hill by the river. It is twilight, and their skins almost seem to glow in the dark. Two have dark hair, and one is blonde.

The rider dismounts and begins to lead the reluctant horse down to the river. The rider bows to the three women. They are whispering, and the one in the middle, a stunning Hispanic woman with black hair wearing a white outfit with a torn bodice, calls out, 'What is your name, soldier?'" At this point, Ardella pauses for a second, coming out of her reverie to glance quickly at my face.

I begin to feel a chill. This is the story of my change event. It is well enough known, but how did she hear it? She could have picked it up somewhere. I don't like that she is telling it, but I can't move. Her emotions have turned to increasing determination, and she is fighting for control of her excitement.

Ardella continues, "The rider answers, with another bow, 'Major Jasper Whitlock, ma'am, at your service.'

The middle woman steps forward, and the rider tenses. Something is wrong; the horse begins to fight for its head, which it quickly gains so that it backs up a few yards. The woman says simply, 'Well, Major, I hope you survive this; I feel you may be of great use to me.'

Then she is on the rider's neck, and pain begins." Ardella pauses momentarily, and then begins again. "The next thing I sense is the focusing of this pain to a single place, and a thudding that first surges painfully, then stops suddenly. I feel it must have been a heartbeat. Someone's eyes snap open, and there is no more blackness. Instead, there is a confusion of sights in front of me, with clarity not known before. But the feeling of threat is very high. There are many people in the barn-like room I am in, and their emotions are all dangerous. They are full of anger, fear, and murder.

A beautiful voice calls out; with a message that belies the beauty of the instrument of its transmission: 'I see you are awake. Now we'll see how long you survive. You feel a burning in your throat, yes?' At that moment a terrible feeling comes into my throat, and I claw at it." Ardella's hands reach for her throat, as if she is beginning to experience the story.

"The woman's voice continues, as my eyes find focus and land on her," Ardella continues steadily. "'One of you will get the food; the other will die. Bruno - '. Instantly, a huge man is in front of me, but I don't have time to focus on him. He grabs my throat and begins to twist. Instinctively, I grab his throat in response and instinctively throw my feelings of fear and rage at him. Somehow, his grasp begins to loosen; I am beginning to win this battle of survival. I don't know what I am, my speed and strength are new, and the thirst is overpowering. "

Ardella pauses and then stands up from her kneeling position. I begin to growl at her, and while she hesitates and shakes for a second, she holds her head up and looks Alice in the face. As she begins speaking, her eyes become distant, but her voice gains in strength. This time she speaks in first person confidently from the start, as if seeing everything through her own eyes.

"My eyes open, and I see something that looks like an alien landscape," Ardella begins, staring at Alice. "A white plant, the size of a cabbage, is balanced on a stem in front of me. Gradually I realize I am looking at a flower, but it is unlike any flower I have ever seen. I am lying on my stomach with my face on one side, and I am looking at a clover. But this scene of the grass is unlike anything I've seen before. I start to stand up and feel very odd. Something tells me 'don't look back', so I run forward, without a glance behind.

I run for a few seconds and then slow down," says Ardella, as the expression on Alice's face changes to amazement. "I hear a thudding sound and smell an unbelievable sweet smell. I turn towards the smell and sound. I find myself on a street. Are these people I am getting this attraction from? Then someone calls to me, 'Miss Alice, are you ok?'

I turn towards this person and spring at him. Within seconds, I have sunk my teeth in his neck and am sucking the sweetness out of his body greedily," Ardella continues, without wavering. Alice beings to growl, but I motion Ardella to continue. "The blood runs out quickly, but my thirst does not. I stay in the darkness, and walk a little further. I hear a gasp, and turn.

There is a couple walking towards me. The woman says 'Alice! We thought…', at the same time as the man says 'Oh, Miss Ali…" He never gets to complete his words, as I grasp both of them, dragging them into the dark of an alley." Alice's growl becomes more menacing, but I put a hand out to keep her from Ardella, who continues her story. "I slam her head into the wall as I sink my teeth into the man's throat. When his blood runs out, I lean down and start on her body. Her heart is still beating; I can hear it, and her blood comes out of her throat into my mouth. When I am done sucking, I lick the blood from her head wound. Looking up, I see my reflection in a store window. I am in a white smock, covered in blood, dirt and grime."

Ardella stops. Then she says, speaking directly to Alice, "I understand you do not know your human past, that you cannot recall it. I do know it. I know about your family, your siblings, your birthday parties, your pets. I can tell you about your mother, and how it came that you were changed. Who had to die so that you could become an immortal. And I can name those three people whose throats you ripped out in your first moments as a newborn, the ones who taught you your name. You didn't look behind you when you woke up. That was a good idea, as what was behind you that evening was not good.

I can tell you who you were as a human, and what happened. But first, I want my daughter back."

Ardella stops talking and waits. Her emotions begin to reveal nervousness, with spurts of determination.

Now this was an interesting complication. The far-away distant look I saw on Ardella's face as she was telling our stories was a look I was familiar with. I had seen it on Alice when she was having visions. Ardella's face had that same look, slightly different, accompanied by varying emotions. Did Ardella have a gift? How had we not noticed this before? Did we need to report it to Aro? Maybe I should call in Eleazar.

Alice broke the silence first. She began whispering to me in Vampiri.

"We can just bring her a baby," whispered Alice in a conspiratorial tone. "We wouldn't have to bring her own baby; it will cost us a lot to retrieve the child from the Seattle facility. The McKenzie's up the street are raising a child, and she's about the right age. We could just bring that baby over and hand it to her. Once she tells us my story, we can take it back to the McKenzie's. How would she ever know?"

I started to reply, thinking about what Alice was saying. It was probably not a good idea to not play straight with someone with a gift, when Ardella's voice startled both of us.

She had backed away from us and then looked straight at both of us, trembling but determined. She kept her back straight and held her head high. "I will know whether you bring me my own child. And, to ensure that I get my child and get to keep her, I will tell Alice details of her human life, but I will not give place names or human last names. I want you to bring me my child, and I want the child to stay with me, here in this house, while I raise her. And you will give both of us decent food and clothing."

With that, she sat on her bed, put her hands in her lap, and stared straight at me, pointedly ignoring Alice.

What the fuck? She understood Vampiri? And she was calling us out on Alice's treacherous plan?

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