"You remind me of her," he said suddenly. "Emma. I don't know why...you just do."
I hated being compared to the woman who had tried to use the Cullen family and had broken Jasper's heart.
He must have felt my annoyance, because he said, "Not like that. More like...the person she was before I realized her true intentions."
I was still a little annoyed, but I didn't say anything.
He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me. I looked at the slightly blurry photograph of a young woman looking thoughtfully at the camera. "That's her," murmured Jasper to me.
As Jasper said, she was gorgeous, her beauty rivaling Rosalie's, if you looked past the bright red eyes. "Why do you still have this?" I asked curiously, wondering why he'd keep the picture of the girl who betrayed him.
He gently pulled the photo out of my hands and slid it back in his pocket. He glanced at me once before leaving.
Though he hadn't answered, I realized he still loved her. I didn't know how he could, ever after what she'd done, but then again, I'd never been in love. Maybe it worked like that- once you were in too deep, you were stuck.
I played with Nessie the rest of the day, until evening fell again on the island. I stood outside alone in the sand, watching the waves roll and crash on the shore and the sun disappear slowly, the sky a beautiful pinkish purple. I liked the feel of the slight wind cooling my skin. It was much warmer here than in Forks. I was even starting to miss the near constant rain of my hometown, though I'd hated it previously.
I almost bumped into Jasper when I came in through the front door and stopped. For some reason, I felt really weird around him, like I was blushing, though I knew I wasn't.
He frowned slightly as he felt what I was feeling. I don't know why, but I didn't want him to know. Thinking of the time Lauren poured coffee all over my new outfit, I tried to disguise it with anger.
The sudden mood change caused Jasper to frown more. "Are you mad at me?" he asked.
"No," I said quickly. "I'm mad at Lauren."
"Who's Lauren?" he asked, confused.
"No one," I said, mentally telling myself to shut up.
Giving me a strange look, he went his way and I went mine.
"Why're you mad at Lauren right now?" asked Bella when I came into the kitchen.
"How do you know I was mad at her?" I said, surprised.
"Because you told Jasper," she replied. "And I heard it."
Right. Stupid vampire hearing. Was there any privacy in this house?
Edward chuckled from where he was leaning against the dining table. "You get used to it," he simply said.
I sighed in frustration. Stupid mind reader.
Edward laughed again.
A week and a half later, Jacob, Bella, Edward, and I were all in the kitchen, chatting casually. The strange feeling I got around Jasper only grew, and I'd stopped trying to stop Jasper from sensing it a week ago. There was really no point, we both knew it wasn't working.
Jasper walked into the kitchen and said to Edward and Bella, "Rose, Em, and I were going to go hunting. Wanna come?"
Bella's eyes flicked towards me. "No, we'll go later." Edward nodded in agreement.
Jasper's dark gold eyes followed Bella's until they landed on me. He seemed to have not noticed I was in the room before.
He said something mentally to Edward, who nodded slightly before whispering it to Bella.
"I'm right here, you know!" I exclaimed. "It'd be nice if you left the gossip about me until later."
"Sorry," muttered Jasper before leaving.
"What's with him?" mumbled Jacob through a mouthful of food.
Edward didn't reply, and seemed to be pointedly avoiding the question.
"Eat," ordered Bella, handing me a plate with Esme's cooking piled on it. I did.
I read Bella's copy of Wuthering Heights until sunset, when Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper ran back into the house, their eyes once again a light gold.
For some reason, Jasper's eyes immediately fell to mine. I felt my cheeks burn as I focused back on the book, fully aware his gaze was still on me.
As night fell, I tried to go sleep, but it wouldn't come. Sighing, I climbed out of bed and walked around the house, enjoying the feel of the cool wood against my bare feet, although it was still very hot.
I didn't know where everyone was, and I vaguely wondered what vampires did at night. I heard sounds coming from Rosalie and Emmett's room that made me grimace and turn the other way. I saw light peer out from the door that led to Carlisle's office, and I quietly padded past so I wouldn't disturb him.
Finally, I found myself in front of Jasper's room. The door was halfway open, creating a crack of light, and I peered inside to see him standing in the middle of the room, a thick book open in his hands.
He glanced up as he heard me. "Can't sleep?" he asked. I shook my head.
"Come in," he said quietly.
I walked in and stood awkwardly, my arms crossed over my chest.
He put the book down on the heavy oak desk and stood facing me.
"I've been meaning to ask you..." he started.
I immediately started thinking of what he had wanted to ask.
"Why'd you come here?" he finished, not in a rude way. Still, I felt as if he was accusing me of something.
"Because Bella's my friend," I said, my head tilting up.
He shook his head and chuckled lightly.
"What?" I asked.
"Alice, you are no doubt the strangest, most fascinating human I've ever met."
I felt blood rush to my face. "What do you mean by that?" I asked, looking up into his light golden eyes.
He smiled lightly. "Not many people would do that much for their friend," he replied quietly.
I looked away.
"A lot of people would," I insisted.
"Everyone's happier with you around," said Jasper. "Bella and Edward have their friend back. Nessie has someone to play with. Esme has someone to coddle, and Emmett has someone to tease. Carlisle enjoys getting the chance to observe another human who knows about our kind."
"And Rosalie?" I asked grudgingly.
His eyes strayed away from mines. "Rose...she doesn't hate you as much as she did Bella."
I rolled my eyes, before I became serious. "And you?" I asked, slightly embarrassed.
He was silent, and for a second I was afraid I'd said the wrong thing. Then, finally, he said, "You...feel the most interesting emotions. It's nice...sometimes."
My eyes stayed on my hands, which were twisting and untwisting the material of my black t-shirt. I had a pretty good idea about what he meant when he said "interesting."
Suddenly, I yawned. "Tired?" asked Jasper, standing up as I did. I was ready to go back to sleep.
He picked up his book. "You can stay here tonight," he said, leaving and shutting the door behind him before I could protest.
I sighed and slipped into the unused bed, surprised at how comfortable it was. I nestled my head into the pillow and fell asleep.