Chapter Twelve

Jasper

When we went to school this morning there was a sense of excitement in the car and it emanated from Alice, she was expecting something but I had no idea what and she wasn't talking. At least not until we got there when she took me to one side and told me what she'd seen. The new girl, Chief Swans daughter, was Edwards singer and she had kept that to herself until it was too late to stop the two from meeting and now she expected me to keep the girl safe. We were in school, there were witnesses all around and I was supposed to stop my "brother" from draining the girl of all her blood. Alice assured me that nothing would happen in class which was a great relief because we weren't even in the same year but I knew the most dangerous moment would be in the cafeteria. I couldn't concentrate at all this morning I just wanted to grab Edward and take him far away from Forks and the girl. We could move to Denali, Edward could finish yet another high school in Alaska.

If he stayed here he would kill Bella Swan for sure, even Emmett hadn't been able to control his thirst when confronted with his singer, on two occasions he had killed the girls unable to stop himself but they had been in private not in the middle of a fucking high school full of people! If Edward flipped, lost control, then we were all dead. The Volturi would come down on the Cullen family like the fires of hell and destroy us all. Why hadn't Alice looked far enough ahead to see that outcome? Sometimes I got the feeling she revelled in danger, she liked living on the edge even though I told her I'd done that for long enough and it wasn't to be recommended. Now I was all that stood between Bella Swan and a swift death followed by an equally swift death for the rest of us. I was furious and when I entered the cafeteria almost at a run I turned my chair so I could see the girl and keep an eye on Edward at the same time.

It was obvious he felt the pull of her blood, he kept looking round at her and his hands were shaking with the effort of controlling himself, we could find ourselves in the centre of a bloodbath at any second and I sat ready to move at a moments notice monitoring his emotions and sending waves of calm to counteract the excitement generated at the scent of her blood. I was also aware that Bella was watching our table. Did she feel the danger seated so close to her? Or was it just curiosity as the others had shown us when we first arrived? I felt her eyes on me and wanted to smile in reassurance. It would be so much easier to watch out for her if she saw me as a friend but making friends wasn't something I was good at not even with my own kind. I knew I carried an aura of danger around me, not to mention my past which was enough to make most vampires keep their distance. If this girl knew about me she would run screaming from Forks never to return. So I would have to watch out for her by keeping close to Edward, close enough to stop him becoming so drawn to her that he could do nothing about it.

I just hoped Alice was right about School being safe as our classes were a long way from Bella's although she did have Alice to watch over her in most of theirs. I found myself thinking about Bella Swan all afternoon with a strange dull ache in my chest. Could it be her blood called to me too? Was it possible for a human to be singer to more than one vampire? The good thing was that I knew I could control this strange feeling at least at this intensity and having controlled my thirst among blood soaked humans by the score I knew I could get away before doing any harm, I had Maria to thank for that although not much else. Thinking of Maria was never a good thing for me but she slipped into my thoughts occasionally. I had thought I loved her when we first met and she changed me, when she had led me to believe she loved me too. She had been the first woman I ever slept with and with her encouragement I found there was nothing I would not do for her, even massacre humans and vampires alike. She honed my fighting skills until no man would stand against me, in fact my title The Major brought dread and fear to anyone who heard it. Yet slowly over the years as I found a real friend in Peter and later his mate Charlotte I began to understand that Maria was merely manipulating me to serve her own ends. Still I hung on to the feelings I had for her until it dawned on me that she had chosen another lover and was planning on killing me. I think she realised that I could no longer be trusted because I wasn't under her spell any longer. Since then there had been a few other women but none that called to me like Maria had and I wondered if she had damaged me so much that I would never find a mate of my own. I found I didn't trust my instincts where women were concerned.

I was relieved when school was over for the day and I could get home and speak to Carlisle about Alice's revelation but he was in surgery so I had to content myself with talking to Esme who seemed to understand my concern but she also trusted Alice's knowledge and judgement.

"I really think she only told you so you would be aware of the reasons for his emotional turmoil but if Alice says Bella is safe then we should be reassured Jasper"

"Thinking about Emmett are you sure about that?"

"Well if Alice sees any danger I'm sure she will let you know in plenty of time and we really don't want to leave here yet."

"Better move than kill an innocent human, especially the Police Chief's daughter Esme."

"Well talk to Carlisle when he gets back, we'll be guided by his thoughts on the subject shall we?"

I nodded, I had great respect for Carlisle so I was more comfortable speaking to him about this problem.

Carlisle was happy to rely on Alice although he did remonstrate with her for keeping this potential problem to herself and Edward promised if he felt the thirst was getting too much for him he would indicate as much to me or try to get away even if it meant leaving class abruptly. For the next couple of days he did well with a little help from me, keeping his distance from Bella although he couldn't help watching her and I felt her embarrassment at being the object of his interest. Her emotions puzzled me at the same time intriguing me. She seemed very shy and unsure of herself, pleased at the friends she had made as if this were all new to her. Her joy in driving the old red truck she had to and from school, the feeling of freedom she felt behind the wheel was strange, as if it were another new experience. I found myself finding excuses to be in her vicinity even when not at school. It didn't take long to work out that the freedom she now had was all new to her and even her fathers attitude was strange to her. Her life before must have been a very unusual one and although I knew she had lived with her mother I somehow doubted it had been a very happy childhood.