Chapter 5: The Angel

It took Bella nearly an hour to decipher the intricacies of installing a dashcam in her car and a hidden camera in her bedroom. It was going to cost another $35 for "expert" installation, but Bella dismissed the need. Besides, she had spent more than enough for her and Jasper's dinner last week and two new spywares; there wasn't much left over to spend.

However, she knew she had to have both—the original note he had given her had vanished from her desk, so he must have broken into her room somehow. If it happened again, she'd catch him next time. Even if he ended up releasing the video of her hiding the duffel bag, she could at least make a case for blackmail. It took her another thirty minutes to figure out how to download the recordings to her laptop. She frowned when a few textbooks teetered off the edge of her desk and fell with a loud thump. She threw a jacket over them.

On Friday morning, Bella drove aimlessly around town, attempting to convince herself that it was a quest for mental clarity. Yet, a sinister voice in her head asked, "Or are you looking for victims?"

The logical part of her brain insisted she turn around and go back to campus to attend the last day of classes. Jen had even knocked on Bella's door before she left for classes, awkwardly asking, "Are you still alive in there?" Having now missed classes five days in a row, if it hadn't been for Rupa and Jen generously sharing their notes from last year, she knew without a doubt she was going to fail the semester. Thirty thousand dollars, a voice said in her head. Suddenly nauseous, she pulled into a parking spot in front of a restaurant to hang her head on her steering wheel safely.

A lump had been growing in her stomach, nauseating her horribly, since last night. The fingernail on her thumb went immediately to her mouth.

As the days passed, she was almost willing to let herself believe that the events of the previous weekend had been a horrible nightmare. Things that didn't happen in real life. But Jasper's sinister smile and his awful request brought the severity of her actions crashing upon her like ice-cold water. She thought about Christine's parents and how they would never get their daughter back.

Because of you. Because you're selfish and couldn't stand the thought of cops and photographers in your face. You would rather drag a dead girl's body through the woods than sit in front of a judge again.

She was freezing.

How could Jasper treat her like this? Had contacting the Denali Coven been such an offense to him that he'd kill a girl to torture her like this? This mystery dug at Bella's psyche; it bothered her endlessly why this had upset him so much. Embarrassment that he was a different kind of vampire? Was he supposed to be dead to the vampire world? What was he hiding?

Bella exhaled loudly, releasing her fingernail and watching the people walk past her car. She envied them.

She geared her car into reverse, turning in her seat to look back before she nearly got whiplash seeing a familiar tall figure exit a coffee shop and get into a black BMW.

Jasper's hair shone like spun gold in the sunlight. If she hadn't known what he was, she could have never guessed that he was supernatural. His skin didn't emit a single sparkle, blending seamlessly with every other man that walked by. Unlike their first meeting, he sported a long-sleeved button-up shirt and a sport jacket. He pulled out of his spot and drove off.

Bella's mind was made up. "Okay, fucker. Let's see what you're up to."

To her surprise, Jasper was a law-abiding citizen in the daylight. He didn't run stop lights or go over the speed limit. She tried to maintain a non-suspicious distance, keeping at least one or two cars between them at all times. Finally, he pulled into a busy parking lot.

Bella's jaw dropped as she read the sign, Precious Promises Children's Foundation. This was the last place she would have ever expected. A graveyard, sure. Maybe even a hardware store for more murder supplies. A children's foundation? She paled at the horrifying thoughts swirling in her mind.

Jasper parked and spoke jovially with an older woman with puffy cheeks and beady eyes before entering the building. The older woman waved at Bella before rushing over to the driver's side window.

"Hi, I'm Gina! Are you one of the volunteers? You look too young to be one of the parents," the woman laughed. "Come on in! You can park anywhere."

"Um…" Bella didn't know how to respond.

The woman appeared confused. "Jasper mentioned he was bringing someone with him today. Isn't that you?

He knew. Bella felt lightheaded. He was toying with her.

Smiling sweetly, despite her inner turmoil, she responded, "Yes, I'm a volunteer." Unfortunately, she thought, I won't make it simple for you to toy with me.

The woman led her through the building. Under different circumstances, Bella would have been in awe of the interior. Every wall was covered in beautiful murals, depicting childhood stories. Red riding hood with her basket of loaves and a goofy-looking brown wolf tiptoeing behind her. Various handmade projects and sculptures hung or sat in any presentable spot. There was a pyramid of round "Christmas Chickens" next to a large Balsam fir.

"I can tell you're a first-timer here," the old woman said knowingly. "We try to make it a home away from home. Have you worked with children before?"

"Not much, but I'm planning on going to med school, and it's certainly something I've thought about." Bella responded honestly.

The woman guided her through the building, goading Bella along when she stopped to inspect some of the writing or art a little bit closer. They reached the back of the building, where there were several small rooms with large, clear windows. In one of the rooms, she saw Jasper through the window reading a story book to a couple of children. Though Bella knew that he knew that she was there, he didn't lift his head to acknowledge her.

Unable to tear her eyes away from Jasper, Bella asked the woman, "Ma'am, since it's my first time volunteering here, do you mind if I work with Jasper today?"

"Oh…I'm sorry. We're grateful for your help, but we don't accept one-time volunteers to work with the children. They get attached so easily, and if you suddenly leave, they'll be the ones suffering."

"I see, that's understandable." Bella nodded. "So Jasper, he..."

"Oh, Jasper is an angel. He's donated so much to the foundation; the equestrian arena will be up and running by next August. He visits once a week too." The woman placed her hands over her heart, as if her emotions were uncontainable. "He really is like an angel, a true embodiment of Christ. Do you go to the Church of Christ in Heaven as well?" The woman looked at her expectantly. "Jasper attends every mass, so I assume that's where the two of you met."

Bella watched Jasper, her mouth dry. "Yeah," she managed to croak.

"Good! I'll keep my eye out for you this Sunday. Now, if you'll follow me, you can help with the dishes."

They turned around the corner, walked down a long hallway, and stopped at a small kitchen, barely the size of Bella's apartment bathroom. Gina handed Bella a thin green apron, gestured to the overfilled sink, patted her on the shoulder with a cheesy smile, and walked away without a word.

What the hell am I doing here? Bella thought as she scrubbed dried lasagna out of a pan. I chased him all the way here to see what he was up to, but I'm on the other side of the building….and why am I working for free?!

"Jasper, I'm hungry!" said the squeaky voice of a girl in the hallway outside the kitchen.

"Would you like a snack?" asked Jasper in a deceivingly kind voice.

"Yes!"

The pan slipped out of her hand and fell into the sink, sending sudsy water splattering onto her apron. A shard of burnt lasagna she had managed to slough off splashed up and grazed her lip. She let out a yelp as she swatted it off.

"Hm, we're out of cups for juice. Let's go to the kitchen and get some more."

Bella froze. She searched around desperately for somewhere to hide, but she wouldn't fit into any of the cabinets, and if she even dared to hide in the oven, Jasper would probably lock her in and turn it on.

Before she made a decision to move, Jasper loomed at the entrance of the kitchen with a little girl, a pleasant smile on his face. "Erica, ask Miss Swan if you can get a glass."

The little girl obeyed, holding out a hand towards Bella.

Bella swallowed thickly and wiped her shaking hands on her wet apron. She found it difficult to look away from Jasper. His eyes were brown. Contacts? "Um…yeah, sure."

She searched two cabinets before finding a glass, but as soon as she pulled it out, it slipped out of her hands and crashed loudly on the floor. "Crap." Bella immediately knelt down to check on the child who was curling up her fists into her chest. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Without thinking, she swept the glass away from the girl with her hand. "Ow…" Bella saw a thin red line on her finger with a small drop of blood beading at the tip. "I'll clean this up; you two go on ahead —"

Bella became still, her gaze slowly lifting to meet Jasper's grim face, his eyes now dark with hunger, his pallor unusually pale. "Jasper…"

Like lightning, he grasped her forearm tightly, hoisting her entire body up by her arm, the bleeding fingertip up to his mouth. She yelped in pain, feeling a twinge in her shoulder. Jasper's eyes were jet black, as if the contacts had melted away. Suddenly, Bella felt her entire body relax and couldn't move. She couldn't resist it. There was nothing more in the world that she wanted than to remain still. He's an angel.

Erica, scared, began to cry.

Jasper exhaled forcefully, his eyes widening with a struggle for control, and he firmly pushed Bella away, his chest heaving from the exertion.

The volunteer manager rushed over. "Is everything okay? Erica, sweetie, why are you crying?"

Jasper turned to her with a forced smile, though he failed tremendously to hide his elongated fangs under his palm. Gina did not spare him a second glass as she ushered the little girl towards her. "I think Erica got a little spooked with the glass breaking." He gestured to the glass still in front of Bella, who was slumped on the floor, dazed.

Bella found herself enveloped in a cloud of frustration. She wanted to scream without caring that there were three people watching her. She was utterly defenseless against his powers. She couldn't even attempt to resist his influence; it was a feeble struggle against an invisible, immovable force.

"Jasper?" called Gina. "Are you already leaving?" She was comforting a blubbering Erica as she walked out of the kitchen.

Jasper had already slipped out of the kitchen, his hand covering his mouth as if he were trying to shove his canines back in. Bella heard his soft voice around the corner. "Yes, I'm sorry; something urgent came up." She heard his footsteps fade as he got further and further away from her.

I need to follow him, she thought, shaking. Get yourself together. Now isn't the time to have a pity party.

She yanked off the apron, apologized to Gina for the mess, and ran through the building after him. She burst outside to catch him before he got into his car. But he was already gone.

Bella stormed into her apartment that afternoon, ignoring a startled Jen, who had returned home for lunch. She slammed her bedroom door shut and muffled a scream into her pillow. The throbbing pain in her finger from the fresh cut only fueled her anger. I hate him!

Tomorrow. She had to find another victim, or her life would truly end.

She felt as if her mind had broken for a moment—no longer crying, no longer screaming, no longer thrashing around in her bed. She stared ahead at the window in front of her desk and watched the clouds float by.

Hours passed before she blinked and, although irrational, realized that even if she died tomorrow, she wanted to die knowing she could have passed her finals and made Charlie proud. It was the least she could do after everything she had put him through.

Bella managed to review Rupa's and Jen's study guides from last year for a few hours. She sighed with relief when she realized a lot of the material was familiar to her—maybe she actually had a chance of passing her exams. Late in the evening, she finally opened her clunky laptop to check her emails. She frowned, seeing her pale face on the black loading screen. She already looked like she was almost dead.

As she scrolled through her emails, she spotted a strange one.

From: tonymarsala

To: bellaswan

Subject: URGENT: The Creatures With Red Eyes

Hello Ms. Swan,

I hope this message finds you in good health.

I am reaching out to you regarding a mutual PROBLEM. I know of the vile, evil creatures with RED EYES and I know that one of THEM has fixed its attention on you. I believe it is in our collective interest to meet and discuss our options…and the most effective means to RID them for good. Contact me at your earliest convenience, though I should warn you that time is short when THEY are involved.

Best,

Anthony Marsala