Chapter Fifteen

Charlie

Well I'd faced the vampire and lived to tell the tale now I just had to wait and see what, if anything, he would do. I wanted anything over before Bella got here and after a day or two I decided Dr Cullen wasn't going to make any move. Unfortunately the stalker was, another small group of campers had been attacked. Everyone was still calling it an animal attack but I knew better. One had been ripped apart but the other was missing with no trace. It was still outside my jurisdiction but I took a couple of deputies into the mountains to help with the search,

"Why would an animal take a body away?"

"I don't know Andy, Maybe its a female with young."

He didn't look any more convinced than I sounded but it was all I could think of to say. Personally I thought the vampire had taken the other camper for a meal later and I thought about how scared she must be right now, if not already dead. We found nothing but another group did, the girls dead body, her throat ripped out. I was more convinced than ever that this was a vampire as the deputies and I went slowly back to Forks. Now did I ask Carlisle for his help or did I rely on the Quileutes to take them out if they got too close to Forks?

Jasper

I knew I was getting close to the Cullens but I slowed down unsure what I was doing was right. Peter and Charlotte had done all they could to help me but I needed more. I couldn't go on the way I had, not much longer without the pain and self loathing overtaking me. Peter just didn't understand, to him killing humans, feeding on human blood, was our nature and we shouldn't try to defy that nature but he wasn't like me, he didn't feel the terror and pain of every one of his victims. Sometimes it was so intense I could hardly swallow the blood, the reason these humans were dying at my hands.

I wanted to find some peace, I wanted a different way of life, and then I heard of Carlisle Cullen. I had been talking to Peter's friend Darius who knew just about all there was to know of our world.

"You look depressed Major"

"I am, it's getting harder to feed every time, I don't know how much longer I can keep going Darius."

"I see. Well, what if there was another way?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if there were another way? A way to live without killing humans?"

"You mean blood from hospitals? Blood banks? I've tried it but somehow I just can't survive on blood stored like that."

"No, I meant a way to hunt prey without killing humans."

"How?"

"There's a man called Carlisle Cullen. He has formed a family of vampires who hunt animals exclusively. I understand that anyone who wishes can join him."

"Animal blood? Well its something I never thought about. Do you know anything about such a diet?"

"Only what I've heard. That it keeps you strong enough but it's not as satisfying so it will never completely take away your thirst. I just thought under the circumstances..."

"Thank you. Its something to think about. Where does this Carlisle Cullen live?"

"A small town in Washington State...Forks if memory serves me."

I had thought about it a long time, it held out a chance, hope for me, and eventually I left Peter and Charlotte and started heading north. Every day I argued with myself about a change of diet., I was strong and I had my thirst under control. I knew exactly how long I could go without feeding before I became a danger to any human close enough. Could I live with a constant thirst? Was I strong enough? In the end I decided it was worth at least speaking to Carlisle Cullen, I didn't have to sign up for his way of life, I just wanted to know more about it. The closer I got the more hope swelled inside me until I needed desperately to speak to this stranger and find out more of his way of life.

I avoided humans as much as possible, hunting only when forced to until I was within fifty miles of the town. I checked the area thoroughly, I wanted no surprises and I found tracks made by other vampires. Were these the other Cullens, hunting in the mountains or nomads? I had no way of telling without tracing them to their point of origin and for now I wanted to know my surroundings a little better. The next thing I came upon gave me pause for thought, there were wolf tracks all over the mountain but these were no ordinary wolves, these were huge. There was a tribal settlement close by which meant guardians roamed the area and that posed more questions. How had Carlisle Cullen managed to set up home in an area full of guardians?

I avoided the best travelled of the tracks and moved closer to the town and the reservation studying each carefully. The tribe was small so therefore the wolf pack was small, no more than six wolf guardians but they looked well disciplined, their leader a man called Sam had them under his control which made them extremely dangerous yet somehow they allowed a family of vampires to live in close proximity. Falling back I watched the comings and goings of the Cullen family and to my surprise saw that it was just that, a family. Carlisle was a doctor who worked in a medical clinic treating sick humans, how was he able to do that? His wife spent a lot of time in the town so she too integrated into the human world and most amazing of all the four younger vampires went to the towns high school, a place filled with humans every day, and without one mishap. Either they were hiding their attacks extremely well or this diet had something to commend it.

I had just decided to make myself known to the good doctor when I overheard two of the others talking as they returned from hunting. I'd been fascinated to watch from a distance as the huge Emmett Cullen wrestled a grizzly bear to the ground and drained it. That looked like fun and it would quench my thirst. The girl who spoke was called Rose or Rosie, I'd heard both used and she was Emmett's mate, a strange pairing I thought but it was apparent how deeply they felt for each other which struck another hunger in me. I wanted a mate, I needed someone to love, someone who would love me in return. Being alone had its advantages but not so many that it took away the loneliness.

"You know Garrett's coming back don't you?"

"Yeah Carlisle told me. I like him"

"Well I don't. He could expose us Emmett, he's a human hunter and that can only bring trouble here. We're barely tolerated by the Quileutes as it is and if he kills a human we'll all be in deep trouble."

"He wont Rosie. He didn't when he was here before."

"You know why he's coming back don't you?"

"Don't start Rosie. We both know he was taken with Bella Swan so if he wants to see her again I don't see the problem."

"Don't you? She's coming to live here Emmett which means he'll be here a lot more which in turn gives him more opportunities to mess up. I like it here Emmett and he's going to spoil that."

"Well I don't see that we can do anything about it. He knows her dad's the Chief of Police so he'll be careful, Carlisle will see to that. If you're worried why don't you ask Alice to look into the future?"

"I did, she can't see Bella Swan's future."

"She can't? Why not?"

"I don't know Em, but it sounds ominous to me. I'm going to keep an eye on our friend Garrett and if I think he's putting us in any danger I'll take him out myself."