Blood of His Flesh (Complete)

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Permalink Reply by Christina Allen on January 4, 2013 at 3:41pm

Very good :) please update soon

Permalink Reply by balletgirl on January 11, 2013 at 4:29pm

Chapter Nine Believe in Love

They were talking in deep, low voices as I slept. I was only half asleep, too weak to move or even open my eyes. I managed to open one eye halfly. “It’s almost daybreak, brother,” Jasper said. “What should we do with her now?” He was grinning, and out of eye shot.
“Get her home. I’m sure her family is worrying about her,” Edward said. He was leaned against the shut door. His voice sounded more serious than Jasper’s playful hushed tone. I could hear Jasper sigh, the way he did whenever Edward said something that annoyed him.
I opened my eyes, fully awake, and a small smile crept onto my face. I felt around the bed, and when I could feel no other person there, I shot up quickly. I was annoyed to be in my own bed, in my own room. I huffed and checked my phone. I had several missed calls from Jacob and Charlie, and one from Angela. My eyes narrowed. What the hell did she want?
I got up and got dressed. I took my book bag, and went downstairs, rushing. It wasn’t until my feet hit the welcome mat that I realized… it was Saturday. I laughed at myself and went back into the house. I decided to take a ride to LaPush. I always thought Jacob and I would be best friends forever when we first met as kids. We just had an instant connection. It’s obvious now that there was more to that connection than I thought.
Rachel, Paul, Embry, and Jacob were behind Billy’s house, hanging out in the garage. They all paused when I came through the entrance.
“Billy said I’d find you here,” I said, talking only to Jacob. Embry was staring at me, while weaving a screw driver through his fingers. Rachel was pushed up against Paul’s lap, as he sat on the edge of a table with his arms around her. It made me wonder what were Sam, Leah and Paul up to that they disappeared and made everyone worry. Jacob’s clothes were dirty, and the grease on his arms highlighted his muscles.
“Can’t you see I’m busy?” Jacob said, lowly. His face suggested that he didn’t want me there.
“I need to talk to you,” I said. I knew he was tired of talking, but I couldn’t think of anything else that would help us.
“Just go. We’ll finish up here,” Paul said, from behind Rachel’s shoulder. Jacob reluctantly came with me back to the house. We went in through the back door. He was silent, so I did most of the talking for once, attempting to get him to open up.
We went to his room, and he freshened up in the bathroom. He came out with a towel, wiping down his biceps.
“I told you already how I feel,” he said. “I can’t change it because you need me to be your best friend. This wouldn’t happen to me with someone who couldn’t love me back. That’s just cruel.”
“Jacob, this is just not the right time,” I said, timidly playing with my fingers. He stopped, then turned to look at me.
“Does that mean what I think it means?” he asked.
“I’m not ready. I do feel something for you and it’s a little scary. I’m not ready to devote my life to you. I’m not ready to devote myself to anyone.”
He chuckled. “I’m not asking you to marry me, Bella.”
“I’m worried that if I do give into these feelings that I won’t be able to turn back, or stop. Imprinting, it’s forever right?”
He nodded, lightly.
“I’m not ready for forever,” I said. I looked to him for his reaction. His face stayed the same, attentive and open hearted.
“At least you’re being honest, for once,” he said.
“You’re not mad or anything?”
“Why would I be?” he shrugged.
“Where does this leave us, now?”
“You tell me.”
I gave him a stern look.
“It’s your call,” he said, with a chuckle.
“What if I get into something with you, and I end up changing my mind?”
“If you’re worried about hurting my feelings, then just stop it. We’re going to get hurt sometimes. That’s just life,” he said. I smiled, finding the comfort I was looking for in his words.
“We just need to go slow,” I said, confidently.
“How slow are we talking?” He sighed.
I shrugged, timidly. He shifted and fully turned his body to me. He came closer, and felt my cheek.
“Why are you blushing?” he asked, suddenly. My smile faded, and was replaced with a look of horror. I looked away, touching my cheeks. He chortled.
“I don’t mind. Blush all you want,” he said. He turned my face back to his, and rubbed his lips against mine, softly. Our eyes fell closed, and we fell back on his bed. My hands found the sheets and I moved them back as he came onto me. I lie still for a moment. The last time we made love, was in the back of Billy’s truck, last summer. This time our actions won’t be propelled by alcohol and insecurity. My breath caught as he broke into me, stroking and thrusting, intently. His gaze never left my face, wanting my every reaction. Gradually, my tremors got worse and worse. He relented, releasing me from his strength. I relaxed under him, and his face fell into my shoulder. We were out of breath for a long while. We turned on our sides, and his arm rested on my thigh. He kissed my ear and whispered something to me in Quiluete, something I didn’t understand, but it sounded beautiful. I turned to look at it his face, and he was asleep.
I played on my phone for a while. I got up, gently and slow, as to not disturb Jacob. I tiptoed down the hall to get to the kitchen, praying that I wouldn’t run into Billy.
Instead of Billy, I bumped into Paul who was giving me an all-knowing look. I ignored him and poured myself a glass of water.
“Did you feel the earthquake?” he asked. I looked at him because he sounded serious. I shook my head. Then, he burst out laughing at me. Rachel appeared.
“What’s so funny, guys?” she asked.
“The house was shaking. I got a little scared, until Bella came downstairs. Then, I realized it was just Bella and Jacob making-“
I slapped my hand over Paul’s mouth, and glared at him, sharply. He laughed under my palm.
“Making what?” Rachel asked.
“Is he your boyfriend, now?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Bad choice,” I said, and walked away.

*****
Chapter Ten Out for a Midnight Kill
I went back to Jake’s room. He was sleeping so peacefully that I didn’t want to wake him. But, I shook him anyway, so that I could look into his sleepy eyes.
“Bella,” he said, and sat up. I sat next to him, and lie across his lap.
“I want to be with you,” I said, suddenly. He didn’t say anything yet, but I could feel he was ecstatic.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “You’re not saying that because we made love.”
“No,” I shook my head. I sat up straight. “I’ve always loved you. I’m just afraid for the future. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll both have nothing. I’ll lose my only friend and you’ll lose something much more than that.”
His lip turned up into a half smile. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll make it work.”
He grabbed my face and kissed me hard We laid back, and let our bodies do the talking. Later, I found my keys and went out to my truck. Charlie was at home when I got back. He was in the kitchen making stir- fry rice and chicken, something he probably learned from watching Cora at the diner.
“Hey, dad,” I approached him, cautiously.
“Yeah, Bells?” He glanced back at me. Then, continued.
“You like Jake, right?” I asked. I didn’t know why I sounded so timid.
“Jake is like family,” Charlie said, as if it was a stupid question.
“It wouldn’t be weird for you if we liked each other, right?” I asked. This one got his attention, and also made him a little uncomfortable.
“Like each other, like dating?” he asked. I nodded. “Whose idea was this? Was this his idea?”
“Dad!”
“Sorry.” He exhaled. “I wouldn’t care either way. At least I don’t have to meet his family.” He laughed. “Get it? Because I already know… his family,” he trailed off, realizing his joke was a fail. I laughed anyway, because it was bad.
“So are you guys an item?” he asked, seriously.
I nodded, shyly. I said, “We’re taking it slow.” I winced at how bleak that sounded. Then, Jasper flashed across my mind. It made me feel selfish, now. No matter how I sliced it, somebody was going to get hurt, regardless. It was hard to admit my feelings due to how much I treasured our friendship and looked forward to our summers together. Maybe because Jacob was the only true friend I ever had.
That night, I got bored with reading and decided to drive to LaPush to see Jacob again. It made me excited, and I knew he would be happy to see me, this time. I got in my truck, and my heart jumped out of my chest as I realized I wasn’t alone.
“Stop… doing that!” I complained. It was Jasper, sitting in my passenger as if he belonged there.
“Where are you going?” he asked, casually, ignoring the fact that I was freaked out.
“I’m going to see my boyfriend. You can’t come,” I said. “Get out, please.”
He looked at me grouchily, when I said boyfriend. “You’re in a bold mood,” he commented, dryly.
“I feel bold,” I said, proud.
“Look at you. Girl gets a little sex in her and she thinks she owns the world,” he said, matter of factly.
My face went white. “You were spying on me?” I asked, slowly.
“God, no! It’s just really, very, incredibly obvious,” he said. “Nope. I lied. I was so spying on you. Who is this Jacob guy? He’s got a lot of muscles. Bet that was fun.”
“Get out. Now.” I reached over and opened the door for him.
“You can’t kick me out.”
“I didn’t invite you.”
“Vehicles don’t count,” he laughed. “Only buildings and homes. I need you to do something for me.”
“You’re screwing up my plans,” I said.
“You’re screwing up my plans,” he said back. “Which is more important, me getting some blood in me, so that I can keep on living and not die, or you getting some Jacob in you, which you can do any other time?”
“I can’t believe this,” I said, backing out of the driveway.
“You’ll thank me later because you don’t want to see what I look like dried up,” he said. “It’s scary.” He shuddered, dramatically..
I drove until he told me to stop and pull over. We got out and we were facing a trailer park. We checked out each one until we came across one with a cracked window.
“Easy peasy,” Jasper said. “You have to break in and let me in.”
“What?” I asked, outraged. “What if I wake somebody?”
“I’ll kill them,” he said. I should have known he would say that. “After you let me in.”
He lifted me up and I pressed my hands on the window sill, trying to avoid getting cut by the edges of broken glass. It was impossible to walk away without a scratch, so I just winged it.
“Ouch!” I whispered, as sharp edges pressed into my palms. I spilled over into the house, and thudded on some boxes. Feeling around in the dark, I found a light switch and turned it on. The house wasn’t very quiet or clean. I heard snoring coming from a nearby room, and it made me nervous. I tiptoed to the front of the house and unlocked the door. It opened and Jasper was standing there with a smirk.
“Can I come in?” he asked, playfully. I rolled my eyes.
“Let’s not turn this into a game,” I said, cynically. He stepped inside and frowned up.
“You and Edward would make a lovely sour couple,” he said. He walked down the narrow hall and I mocked him behind his back.
Jasper didn’t waste any time. He burst through a bedroom door.
“Ah!” A woman shrieked, in bed next to who I assumed was her husband, who grabbed a golf club from under the bed and pointed it at us. Jasper took it from him after he had swung at him with it, and missed. Jasper threw the golf club on the floor and pulled the man out of the bed. The couple seemed attached at the hip, as the woman came down with him, not letting go of the man’s arm.
My heart raced as I watched and bounced on my feet .I was near the door. My job at the moment was to keep them from trying to escape. The woman screamed every two seconds. She was bound to get someone’s attention from the outside.
“Shut up!” Jasper roared at her, but she didn’t seem to hear him, made deaf by her own voice.
“Trixie, calm down,” the man said, his beer belly pressed to the floor. “We’ll just give them what they want and then they’ll leave.”
She listened to him, but the only thing she had calmed was her voice. She was silent now. Jasper chuckled at the man’s words.
“You’ll give me what I want alright,” Jasper said. He pulled the man’s face up by his short, thin hair. Then, he seeped his fangs into the guy’s neck. The man’s eyes bulged, as if to explode. The woman started screaming, again, louder now that Jasper was feeding from the man. I knew I had to make her shut up. I ran to the kitchen and came back with a knife, so terrified of getting caught, that I ran the blade through the woman’s ribs, instantly. She was bigger than me and she even fought back, which I didn’t expect. I fell over and she was on top of me, the blade still through her body.
“You crazy little brat!” she screamed in my face. “Do you realize what you have done!” She kept on screaming and talking at me, while I was just trying to get her off me. The man’s muffled struggles had seized which signaled to both of us that he was dead.
“Oh,” the woman cried on me, in response. “No, no, no!”
Jasper came over and pulled her hair, dragging her off of me. “Why!” she cried, trying to see about the dead man. “Why are you doing this to us?”
Jasper wasn’t moved by her pleas. He seemed rather annoyed by her voice. He yanked the knife out of her and jammed it into her throat box. Blood raced out like a waterfall.
“I told you to be quiet,” Jasper said, in a scolding voice. He watched her face closely as she was dying. When the life had finally left her eyes, I ran out, tripped over an extension cord, and puked on the floor.
I got up and found the bathroom, but it was too late. My sudden fear of Jasper made me lock the door. I stepped into the shower to think. I turned on the water, and tried to scrub the woman’s blood off me. What the hell was I doing? I felt crazy. I heard the door open. An instant later, the shower curtain was snatched open. Jasper glared at me with furious eyes. They had their color back; a lucid tropical blue.
“I saw your face!” I bawled. “You lied to me! You enjoyed every minute of that, you sick person!” I tried to pass him, but I slipped and he caught me. He held me up in the shower and my back was against the wall.
“What would you have said.”
“I felt sorry for you,” I yelled, ignoring his question. The water was rinsing all the blood away for both of us. “You don’t have any feelings,” my voice trailed. He scowled into my eyes as he undid my jeans. I didn’t try to stop him. I grabbed his face, eager for a kiss from him. He rammed into me, hurting me and exciting me, simultaneously. Each thrust relentless and rough, but he made it feel good, so good that I would probably cry when it ended. The only gentle thing he did was plant a kiss on my lips when it was over. My exhausted body slid down into the floor of the shower. I was staring at his shoes, when the water cut off.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, fixing his wet jeans. “That banshee probably woke the whole trailer park.”

Permalink Reply by balletgirl on January 11, 2013 at 4:58pm

Chapter eleven Trapped In Darkness
Jasper chopped up their bodies and bagged them like it was an everyday, boring task to him. When day broke, I used their beat up pick -up truck to drive their bodies out to Shannon Lake, a vast body of water outside of town. Jasper wore a hoodie and gloves, which protected his skin from the morning light. The tiny body parts were snug inside three black garbage bags. We got out and tossed them into the lake. Hairs raised on my skin, as the surface of the water bubbled. Piranhas nipped at the bag, creating holes in it. A feeding frenzy began, and I puked on the grass. Later, I sat in my truck with Jasper.
“The piranhas were Carlisle’s suggestion. We had them imported from a South American beach. Just another good way to cover our tracks,” he said, casually. Then, he turned and smiled at me. I couldn’t smile back.
It was quiet for a moment until I spoke. “What happens if I get caught?” My voice was dreary.
“You won’t get caught.”
“I’m not naïve, Jasper. What if one of these days, we slip up? Forget something, or get seen by someone? You’re protected because you’re a vampire. You can get away with anything because, well, no one is going to catch you. You don’t exist to the world. But, what about me?”
“I protect you,” he turned to me.
“I don’t know about this.”
“Whatever you’re thinking about, you may as well stop it. Don’t you go turning soft on me, Swan” he said, shaking my shoulders. “Wake up, Bella. You’re in this until you die. There’s no way out. None.”
I sobbed and stared at the steering wheel. “I’ll get rid of the pick -up. You head home,” he said.
“This is too risky and crazy,” I bellowed.
“Stop crying about it, or I’ll kill you and find someone else,” he said harshly. Then, he got out of my truck and was gone.
When Monday reared its ugly head, I was sitting in biology class, feeling unnaturally giddy. I knew it was Jasper trying to help me feel better. He must be somewhere really close. But, how? He couldn’t possibly be walking the halls of Forks High right under my nose, and in broad daylight. Maybe his powers work long distances.
I got a lot of odd looks today from kids in the halls, and I didn’t understand why. No one spoke to me at all. I felt ostracized. The only people who gave me the time of day were the teachers. I decided to have lunch outside on the grass, where no one could look at me. I saw someone dressed in sunglasses and a head to toe outfit standing by a tree across the street. I put my sandwich down and crossed the road to get over there.
“This couldn’t wait until tonight?” I asked.
“What if I did all the killing and the clean up, by myself, and all you had to do was let me in?”
Despite how I was feeling, I had to smile at the thoughtfulness. “Are you sure?” I asked.
“I can’t have an unhappy familiar. It’s irritating,” Jasper said. “Plus, I live with a mind reader. If you’re unhappy, then I’m unhappy, and then he’s unhappy.”
“When you said there was no way out, did you really mean that?” I asked. His eyes dulled.
“Yes, I meant it.”
“So our bond, it can’t be broken?”
He sighed. “Actually it can. It can only be broken by another vampire. If another vampire wants you, I’d have to let you go. And the odds of that happening are zero.”
“Our bond can’t break until someone else wants me as a familiar?”
“Yes.”
“This is slavery,” I objected. “It’s not fair. I can’t ever have a normal life again. I always have to belong to someone. You didn’t tell me this before.”
“You didn’t ask before. What’s the problem? You weren’t doing anything with your life. I brought the fireworks, baby.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“I’m as serious as a death in the family.”
I turned around to head back across the street.
“Wait,” he said, remorse in his tone. I stopped walking, but I didn’t turn around to face him. “I’m trying to make this as comfy for you as I possibly can. Work with me.”
I turned around, only to say, ”Lunch is almost over. I have to get back.” Then, I left.
School became an uncomfortable place. Day after day, I remained alone. Angela and Eric treated me as if we never met. The only people who showed me any attention were the jocks and the cheerleaders and it wasn’t the nice kind. They made a game out of messing with my life. To them, I was a weakling, a quiet target they knew they could get away with bothering. My only comfort was Jacob and my secret life with a vampire to whom I was starting to grow attached.

***

Chapter twelve Indulging In Darkness
I walked the halls with my head down, a forever outcast. Classmates had all kind of nicknames for me. I knew they called me nerdy, weird, crazy, and strange behind my back. By day, I stuck my nose in my books, trying to hide the turmoil I was going through, effects of sneaking off into each night to help a vampire ravage his chosen prey. I was weak inside, my blood ran thin. My skin paler than it should be. Afraid that people would notice these things, get suspicious, I recoiled even more inside my hermit shell. Jacob noticed my differences whenever we were close. My mind went blank, embarrassingly, when he asked me about my scars one night.
I didn’t like who I had become, but I didn’t mind it either.
I was running out of excuses to why I would stay out all night and return at the break of dawn. Charlie had threatened to send me back to my mother, which enraged me inside. I told him I would change, a promise I knew I would not keep, and didn’t want to keep. Compelled, I belonged to someone now; Jasper. Sometimes I didn’t know if it was me or his powers possessing me when I did crazy things, or reacted strangely to something.
Sometimes, I felt like Jasper and I was one person. He was taking me over, engulfing me, bending me to his will until I became the perfect familiar.
It was one in the morning, and I was out with Jasper. Our clothes were spattered with blood. We had shattered a whole family; Mommy, Daddy, teenage son, and an unlucky auntie who was there as a visitor. I stepped over their crippled limbs and broken arms as they lay begging on the messy floor for mercy and gentleness. Jasper wanted all of them and kept them alive to watch their family ravaged by a darkness they didn’t understand or even knew existed.
The teenager I recognized from school. I had not let him see my face, yet. But since now his leg was broken and diced at the knee, and he was going to die soon, I felt it was okay. He seemed like a good person, but not anyone I knew personally. When he saw my face, his mouth ran dry and he dragged himself closer to me using his one good arm, as if I would help him. I didn’t. I walked away, and listened to his cries as Jasper drained his body of blood.
I went in another room and found the family’s gun as I rummaged through their personal dressers. With my back to the wall, I suppressed my compassion. I didn’t need it for what I was doing. When the anxiety and screams had died down, I came out. The room wreaked of fear and death. Jasper stood in the middle of the room, four shattered bodies lie at his feet, as he swung a sword under his armpit. It was what he used to intimidate them and round them up in one room like cattle. He got the sword from the boy’s room. He apparently collects them.
Jasper motioned for me to come, with a lusty grin. A small smile slipped onto my face. I stepped over Mother and Father to get to him. My hands raked through his cropped, dirty blonde bloodstained hair. I invited his tongue into my mouth and we dropped to the floor. He stroked my body, paying no attention to the gun that was slowly moving towards his chest, as we kissed. I pointed the end of the barrel into his shirt, and pulled the trigger. A BANG penetrated my ears and shook the house. Jasper’s pretty blue eyes grew wide with shock. And I grew sad, thinking I would never see them again. A sense of relief had over- taken me, when Jasper fell over and lie out on the floor, silently. I stood up and examined him. Then, I shot him again. The bang bounced off the walls. I went to the kitchen because I was hungry, and made a sandwich.
After I took one bite, I felt someone’s hands around my neck, choking me and shaking me. Jasper threw me onto the kitchen floor. I crawled and he pulled my leg, dragging me back. He wrapped his long fingers around my neck, making it difficult for me to breathe. I choked on my own insides. He laughed, tickled about something.
“I honestly did not see that coming,” he said in my ear. “Well done, but here’s a little advice, Bella. Guns don’t kill vampires.”
He got off me and reached his hand down to help me up. He went to go do the clean-up. I had to wait outside because he didn’t trust me, anymore, after I tried to kill him. We drove the dead family out to Shannon Lake and fed them to the piranhas.
I couldn’t have him angry at me, so I tried to win him back.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, as we sat in my truck and stared out at the lake and the silver moon. He let a silent moment torture me before he decided to speak.
“No, you’re not,” he said.
“I am. I really am,” I resorted to begging.
“I’m not convinced.”
“Jasper, it was a bad lapse in judgement.”
“No. You wanted to kill me. Bella,” His voice softened in a comical way. “If you're having problems, you know I’ll listen. You can always talk to me.”
Not about this, I thought to myself. I wanted out.

Permalink Reply by balletgirl on January 11, 2013 at 5:09pm

Chapter thirteen Don’t Turn Your Back on Me
It was October 1, and I had just showed up at Mr. Cullen’s house. I secretly wanted our bond to be broken. I felt the only person who would help me was Carlisle. I wanted my life back and the only way for that to happen was Jasper had to die. But, I couldn’t kill him myself. There was another way, but it involved killing Carlisle and that would kill all the other vampires he made in his lifetime. I only wanted Jasper gone.
No one seemed to be home, until Rosalie opened the door
“Bella,” she said, not surprised. “How are you? What are you doing here? Jasper’s not home. He has a life outside of you, you know.”
I found it funny she thought I was obsessed with him.
“I’m not looking for Jasper. Is Carlisle home?”
Her eyes glittered with curiosity. “What do you want with Carlisle? Just screw every man in my coven, why don’t you!”
“It’s not… like that,” I said, agitated.
“Yeah right.”
“You are such a bimbo,” I said, snarky.
She hissed, showcasing her fangs. I shrunk back. “This bimbo can kill you. So, you best watch your mouth.” Succeeded at scaring the poop out of me, she opened the door and let me pass. “I’m going back to bed,” she said. I looked back, but she had vanished.
The house was dim, no lights were on. A few rays had snuck in through creases or cracks here and there. I touched the marble rail of the stairs and proceeded up to the second floor. There were pictures upon the walls. I recognized Carlisle in some of them. There were no pictures of Edward, Jasper, Rosalie or Alice.
I came upon a giant room with a dome shaped entrance and no door. Beyond it was thousands of books on shelves. A home library. I pulled a book from its slot and opened it to a random page. The text wasn’t in English, but Italian. I found other books written in foreign languages and even Latin. I held one in my hand when a voice disturbed me. Startled, I dropped the book and spun around.
“Hi.” It was Edward.
“Hi,” I said. I tucked my hair behind my ears. He seemed to be waiting for me to say more. But, I was waiting on him to say something.
“What are you doing here?” We spoke at the same time and said the exact same thing. He chuckled, nervously.
“You go ahead,” he said.
“Oh. I was just looking for Carlisle,” I said, with a nervous laugh.
“He’s resting,” Edward said, studying me strangely.
“Oh. Okay. I’ll come back later,” I ended. I walked passed him. Then, I stopped and turned around. “Maybe, you can help me with something.”
He paused for a second. Then, he turned to me. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“It’s about Jasper,” I said, ignoring his response. “I can’t go on living this way. Too many people have died, and it’s really hurting my conscience. I thought I could handle it but I can’t. I want my life back.”
He stood there like a statue. I wasn’t even sure he was listening, until he spoke. “You know you can’t go back.”
“But there’s a way to get out of this. Jasper told me. He tried to lie to me about it at first. He’s sick, Edward.”
“All vampires are sick,” he said, eyes flicking to the ceiling, annoyed.
“Well, I don’t want any more to do with it,” I said. “When can I catch Carlisle?”
“The only way to break from Jasper is to kill him or Carlisle. I don’t think Carlisle will help you succeed with either. Jasper is like a son to him,” Edward explained. “The minute you mention any of this to him, he won’t let you leave this house alive.”
“So, who do I turn to now?” I asked, feeling out of luck.
He smiled a tiny grin in response. I knew he knew everything that was going on between me and Jasper, but maybe he only knew Jasper’s version, since he can’t read my mind. He lead me to a room which looked like a dungeon. Gold yellow candles were lit with a red fire. A mosquito net hung from the ceiling and drooped over a canopy of colorful flowers. There was a small book shelf against the wall, and a hot tub filled with bright petals.
“This is Alice’s dungeon,” he said.
“Why are we here?” I asked, curious.
He shrugged. “It’s the most peaceful place in the whole house.”
“How much do you love Carlisle?” I asked, sneaking off topic.
His eyes found me. “Forget it. You can’t kill Carlisle. You don’t have the strength.”
“I’m not weak.”
“You’re in over your head,” he said. “Jasper will let you go on his own. He is starting to let your unhappiness get to him,” he revealed.
“Is it true that my mind is the only one in the world that you can’t read?” I asked. He nodded.
“It’s a good thing and a bad thing.”
“How?” I asked.
“It’s good because my mind is calm when it’s just you around, as oppose to others who crowd every fraction of my brain with their loud, obnoxious ramblings. And it’s bad because you don’t belong to me”
I was admiring a silver vase with Chinese letters on it when he said that. I turned around. “Why did you bring me down here?” I asked.
“You are the only one in this world that I can be around and have peace at the same time. I feel somewhat normal around you,” he said. He locked eyes with me, and my knees buckled. I literally collapsed to the floor, failed by my own sorry limbs. In a second, his fingers were exploring my neck. He pulled down my collar, revealing the scars left by our vampire threesome, nights ago.
“I’m sorry we ruined your skin,” he said. “I’m sorry you have to wear layers of clothing to hide the scars, and I’m sorry your life is such a mess.”
“I’m not sorry,” I said, in a daze, mesmerized by his voice. I knew he wasn’t sorry. He was just talking to let me hear his voice, to trap me in his power.
“I’m especially sorry that my brother lacks the kindness that you desire,” he added. I closed my eyes, leaning in, expecting a kiss. “And I’m sorry you were too dumb and naïve to say no.” My eyes opened back up.
“You’re saying it’s my fault?” I asked, bewildered.
“If you hadn’t bonded to him in the first place.”
“He would have killed me,” I said, sternly. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I relaxed my shoulders. “I have an idea.”
“You can’t touch Carlisle,” he said, sick of hearing about it.
“Not that,” I said. I pulled a shoe string out of my converse shoe and showed it to him. I took his hand and he followed me to the bed of flowers. He knew what I was thinking, and he didn’t need to read my mind. He wanted to step away, but my big, brown puppy eyes made him stay. I let my hand run down his shoulder. He was trying really hard to keep his stone cold composure. I reached my hands up behind his ears and rattled his bronze hair. He bit his lip, aroused. I gently pulled his head down to mine, when my lips grazed the edge of his, he collapsed on top of me like a dropped building. He let go of whatever he was holding inside that kept him from giving in to me. Our mouths crashed together, and he tore at my clothes until I was naked on Alice’s bed of flowers.
He slammed into me, causing me to yelp, loudly. He turned me over and pulled up my hips. I felt the familiar fangs sinking into the back of my shoulder. I bit my lip, hard, trying to not scream or make anymore weird sounds. He turned me back over and bit the inside of my thigh. Edward planted a trail of kisses up to my raised knee, then sank down into the middle of my body. The air left my lungs, and he blew air into my mouth so that I wouldn’t die. I bunched up his white shirt in my fists as he thrust hard with eagerness. I moved it off his shoulders and he took it off completely, and came back into me. He groaned and whined, as if he hadn’t had this in thousands of years. He jerked, hard and his teeth cleaved into me, forcing out a low moan, and a small trail of blood that ran down my breast. He put his mouth on me, cleaning it off with his tongue. My body rang with tingles and spasms.
We switched places, and I mounted his waist. I nibbled at his neck. Edward grabbed my thighs and pulled me onto his hardness. We heard a noise at the door. Before I even looked up, Jasper was standing in the room, not pleased.
I quickly moved off him, startled nearly to death. Edward got up and lazily searched for his shirt.
“You harlot!” Jasper screamed at me. He came at me, fast. Edward blocked him, pushing him away. Jasper bounced up. As I panicked, I was trying to get dressed and dodge Jasper at the same time. He kept trying to get to me, and Edward continued to block him. He finally let up.
“Betrayed by my own brother,” Jasper twitched. “I thought I’d never see the day.”
Edward buttoned up his shirt. “You don’t deserve her.”
“And you do?” Jasper asked, rhetorically.” I knew you had a thing for my familiar, but I had no idea… you’d stoop so low.”
Edward chuckled, brushing off Jasper’s words. “You would know about that, the way you force Alice to take a backseat to your human. You deserve neither woman.”
“You know nothing about Alice and me,” Jasper said. “I love Alice!”
“You’re falling for her!” Edward’s baritone roared and he pointed at me. My jaw fell open.
“You know nothing,” Jasper spat.
“I know your thoughts. You try to hide them, but you can’t,” Edward said, calmer now. “You can’t hide them from me. What’s worse is that I don’t want to hear them. I have no choice but to listen to how you yearn for her.”
“And you think stealing my familiar will solve that?” Jasper’s eyes popped.
“No,” Edward said, after a short hesitation.
“You only want her for yourself because you can’t hear her thoughts. That’s not love,” Jasper seethed.
“I never said I loved her,” Edward said. His words sounded cold to my ears. I flushed, embarrassed to be in my position. Neither loved me, but somehow I managed to give my heart away to both.
“And she will never replace Alice,” Jasper said.
“You say that, but your thoughts,” Edward said, shaking his head in disgust. I stood up, fully dressed again.
“It’s so good to know I’m the most unwanted familiar on the planet,” I said, tears in my eyes. I ran for the door.
Jasper attempted to comfort me, getting his arms around me.
“Let her go,” Edward ordered.
“I wish I had never met you,” I said. Jasper’s face went blank and stupefied. I shook his arms from around me and left. I just knew that one of them would follow me and try to smooth things over. I wouldn’t let it happen. I ran to my truck and drove fast. I vowed to never be hypnotized, glamoured, or dazzled by vampires ever again!
When I got home I rushed inside the house. Charlie was watching tv when I zipped passed him saying, “If that ‘neighbor guy’ comes over, don’t let him in.”
I went to my room, and I shut the door. I was still facing it when I realized someone was sitting on my bed. I turned around, prepared to scream. But I sighed, instead.
“Jacob,” I said, airily.
He was sitting there with a red rose in his hand.
“I thought we could go out on our first official date,” he said, with a simple smile that penetrated my soul. My face was cracking, in an ugly way, my guise broken. Jacob stared at me with much concern.
“I’ve been so unfaithful,” I broke down, tears clouding my view of the man I claimed to love. Jacob didn’t move, but the rose fell out of his hand.
I shut my eyes, not ready for his reaction. “And that’s not the worst of it. I’ve killed people, Jake. I’m a murderer.”
He let out a little laugh of disbelief. I was silent. His grin dropped when he realized I might be serious.
“No,” he shook his head.
“I told you I would break your heart,” I said. “I knew it would happen, but you didn’t believe me. I knew you would get hurt, Jake. I knew-“
He was approaching me. He cupped my chin with his hands. He looked into my guilt tripping eyes and saw that I was for real. “Bella, you didn’t.”
“I did,” I sobbed.
After a moment of processing, Jacob started breathing really hard. I didn’t know if he needed air or was angry, or both. His legs gave out and he stumbled by my desk, and used the chair to break his fall.
“I’ve been lying to everyone for weeks. I just want it to be over, so I can be a normal person, again,” I whined. “There’s this vampire and I help him kill people and cover his tracks. I tried to get rid of him, but it’s impossible. He won’t leave me alone and now he’s angry at me, and I’m probably going to get killed.”
“Who is he?” he asked. “Who is the guy, Bella?”
“I can’t tell you anything about him. He’d kill me.”
There was a short pause. Then, Jacob shot up and started tearing my room apart. I realized he was looking for something. I watched him, carefully, until I realized he was looking for anything that would lead him to his mystery man.
“No,” I flung myself at him. “Jacob, no.” He opened drawers and dumped them out, and went through my book bag and read every piece of paper that I couldn’t snatch from his hands. “He’s a dangerous person, Jake. He’ll just kill you.”
“He can’t touch me,” he said. That made me pause. He stopped and looked at me, like he had a secret.
“You believe me?” I asked, distraught.
“Yeah,” he said, finally. “Unfortunately.”
“All of it?” I asked, with a strange spark of hope to my voice.
He narrowed his eyes, and looked away from me.
“I’m being honest,” I said.
“You should have been honest when it first started,” he countered, snooping through my nightstand drawer. He turned around. “Just tell me his name. That’s all I want. I won’t hurt him.”
“Jake, you couldn’t hurt him if you ran him over with a bulldozer, repeatedly,” I said. Pain shot up in his face and his eyes turned watery. He silently cried. I wanted to throw myself off the nearest skyscraper. “Jacob?” I asked, knowing I had no right to even say his name. He turned his face away, not wanting me to see how much I hurt him, not wanting it to show.
He got up and went to the door. I quickly blocked it. “Jake, please don’t go. I need you.”
“I need to be by myself,” he said.
“Will you come back? I need someone to talk to.”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” He sounded hopeless. I let him through and he was gone.
The next day at school was brutal. I was glad when it ended. In the parking lot, I overheard Lauren talking about her birthday party which was tonight. She wanted me to hear about it, which is why she talked so loudly. Of course I wasn’t invited, as if I would go to her stupid party anyway.
I forgot my book , again, so I hurried back inside the school. Eric was cleaning out his locker. He had sneezed a lot today. Tissues were falling out of his pocket. I stared, wanting him to acknowledge me. He finally gave me a flick of the hand, a weak wave and an even weaker smile. I smiled at him anyway and went back outside.
I opened my truck door.
“Hey, Bella. Party tonight, you wanna come?”
I paused, totally shocked. I wanted to see who this person was, who would risk social suicide by talking to me. I turned to see Ashley, the cleverly ditzy girl who skipped the first few days of school. She was bold for that. She was wearing one of the boys’ letterman jackets, her dark brown hair flowing over the school initials. Her eyes beamed at me and she smiled.
“What do you want?” I asked, trying to sound friendly, but it just came out wrong, as usual.
“My friend is having a party.”
“I… don’t think I’m invited,” I said, nervously.
“Don’t be silly. Everyone is invited. Her mother said so. Even the dorks are coming… not that you’re a dork,” she coiled.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to make it,” I said.
“Why?” she asked. I couldn’t tell if she was serious or an extremely good actress.
“Other plans,” I answered.
“Can’t say I didn’t try,” she said, and walked away. Now, for some reason, I felt bad. I caught up to her.
“Lauren doesn’t like me,” I said. She laughed.
“And? Lauren hates half the kids at school. She hates me, sometimes.” She shrugged.
“Why did you miss the first few days of school?”
“A, because my parents don’t care, and B, because why the hell not?” she responded. “I would have missed the whole week if that runt Jessica hadn’t of ratted on me to the principal. Principal Harnois lashed out at my parents and they pretended to care. And here I am. So, what are you into?”
“Um. I like to read,” I sounded unsure of myself.
“Anything else?” she nudged.
“My life is pretty strange right now. I really can’t go into detail.”
“Mysterious,” she said. “You should come. Don’t let Lauren scare you away.”
Ashley was like a flower in a dead garden full of weeds. But, that didn’t mean I was going to Lauren’s party.

Chapter fourteen The Devil is Alive
We exchanged numbers. I wondered to myself about trusting anyone from Lauren’s circle. Was I that desperate for a friend? Ashley seemed like a genuine nice person, who didn’t follow Lauren constantly and did her own thing, so I didn’t worry about it too much.
When I returned home, I checked my messages.
Hey Bella. It’s Jake. How did you sleep, last night? Well, after thinking it over, what you did probably wasn’t your fault. Vampires can have power of over people. I think I know a way to help. My tribe has quite a few stories on them. Anyways, we’ll talk later. –Jake.
This wasn’t a movie. This was real. I couldn’t figure out how a few tribal fairytales would help me defeat Jasper. Next, I found myself pondering and staring at Ashley’s number. What if I had met her on the first day? Would things be different, now?
I was thinking about what she said. I felt like a wuss, letting Lauren intimidate me. I wasn’t going to do it anymore. I threw on something nice and went to the stupid thing.
Ashley was right. The whole school student body was there. I felt like a tiny fish in a sea of sharks. Ben, Mike, and Jessica were glaring at me as soon as I noticed them. I looked away. Lauren’s house was huge. Too big to be called a house, mansion seemed for fitting.
“Hey, Bella,” Tyler said.
“Hey,” I said.
“Wanna dance?” he asked, showing off a boyish smile.
“Sure,” I said, without a thought. We went into the dance floor. The first thing I did was stomp on his shoe. I laughed it off, bashfully. I wasn’t a good dancer, and Tyler didn’t have vampire powers that made me forget the fact. So, I just followed his lead.
Ben broke between us, suddenly. “Can I cut in?” he laughed.
Tyler pushed him back.
“No, you can’t cut in,” Tyler said. “Haven’t you done enough? I heard about your sneaky plan. I don’t appreciate you making me a part of it. Some of us have respect for our women.” Tyler was dead serious, and it rattled Ben.
But, Ben wasn’t the type of person to just walk away. “Why are you standing up for this chick? She’s not even supposed to be here,” Ben said. “She’s not even hot.” Mortified, my cheeks burned red.
“What’s going on here?” Lauren popped up. I froze.
“Look who showed up,” Ben said, ever confident now that Lauren was in his corner. Lauren looked me up and down.
“Nice outfit,” she said, in her casually dull voice.
“Thanks,” I said, barely audible.
“Listen up. This is my party. My parents are trusting me and the maid with the house, tonight. So, I don’t want any crap going down in here,” Lauren said, shocking the hell out of Ben… and me, for that matter. “Got it?”
“Got it,” Tyler said, confidently. I nodded. Ben smirked at her, as if he was just playing around. She narrowed her eyes at him, and then turned on her spiked heels to leave. I deflated like a balloon.
I turned around and spotted Ashley. Excited to see her, I walked over to her and Tyler followed me.
“Hey, Ty,” she smiled.
“Hey, Ash,” he said.
“Bella, you came,” she said, “I knew you would.”
“You should be a lawyer,” I said. I saw Angela in the corner of my eye, looking snobby in her prim, black-rimmed eyeglasses. She noticed I was with a baseball player and a cheerleader, and she pretended not to care. I half expected her to run over and warn me about how evil they were.
I had to use the bathroom and so I crept up the stairs. When I came out I saw Ben and Mike coming around the corner. I got scared and ducked back into the bathroom. Feeling stupid, I went back out.
“Hey, there pretty lady,” Mike said. He and Ben were blocking the exit with their tough guy poses.
“Hey,” I said, skittishly.
“How’s the bathroom?” Ben asked. It was a weird question. “You like it?”
“It’s nice,” I said, wondering why ask such a question.
“Good. Because you can party in there, all night long,” Ben said. Mike laughed pushing me back, when I tried to pass them. They closed the door, and probably used a chair or something to keep me inside.
“Hey!” I shouted, when I realized I was trapped. I banged on the door for minutes but no one came. I sat on the floor until I heard the knob rattling. I got up and the door opened. It was Lauren, with Ashley, and Jessica.
“What the hell happened? Other people have to pee,” she said.
“Ben and Mike locked me in.” I felt like a child tattling. My ears burned from the embarrassment.
“What?” Ashley sounded offended. “Where are they?” They looked around. Ashley pulled me out of the bathroom and I found myself following them to find the boys.
They were laughing and drinking, in the foyer’s entrance. They looked at us and got annoyed when they saw me.
“Kick him out,” Ashley ordered Lauren.
“I’m not gonna kick him out,” Lauren retorted.
“What?” Ben interrupted them. “I didn’t do anything.”
Ashley ignored him and only talked to Lauren. “If Bella were Lori, you would have kicked him out for that stunt.”
“Hey,” Mike broke in, calmly. “We were just goofing off. Look at her, she’s not even hurt. Stop making a big deal.”
“Why is everyone so goofily partial to this moron that is called Ben?” Ashley said. “Why does he get special treatment, Lauren?”
“Aw, shut up,” Ben said. “You’re just still pissed because I wouldn’t give you any, last year.”
“Ben, everyone knows you came on to me,” Ashley said. “I can do so much better than you, anyway.”
“Alright enough,” Lauren stormed. “Ben, Mike, get out.” Lauren stretched her arm, pointing outside. The boys looked stunned. “You’re ruining my party, get the hell out. Now!” She pushed them out the door, when they didn’t break out of their stupor quick enough. They were kicked out.
Unexpectedly, the floor broke out in cheers. We turned to see everyone praising and clapping. Lauren twirled her hair, and popped her bubblegum, soaking up the attention. Ashley pulled me aside.
“Those two are so obnoxious. They have been pulling stupid little pranks all night,” Ashley said. I was relieved that I wasn’t their only target. “Lauren needs to put her man in check. He’s getting embarrassing.”
When midnight rolled around, I was surprised I didn’t get a visit from Jasper. Now, would be the perfect opportunity to kill me if that’s what he wanted, if revenge was on his mind at all.
I careened into Angela, accidentally. I started to apologize.
“We meet like this a lot,” she said.
“I know. I’m so clumsy,” I said.
There was an awkward silence between us.
“Eric and I want to apologize for shutting you out. What you said was harsh, but I think you’ve been punished enough.”
I tried not to smile as she talked. I ate up her every word.
“Where is Eric?” I asked, nonchalantly.
“He’s stuck at home. His allergies are acting up,” she said, woefully.
“He’ll be better soon,” I said, not able to hide my smile anymore. I felt as if the sun was finally coming out, shining itself on my dark hell.
“Friends?” she asked, hopefully.
“Of course,” I beamed, taking her hand.
A maid of the French variety rolled out the cake on a moving platform.
“I bet Lauren made her wear that,” Angela commented about the maid’s provocative black and white outfit. My phone started buzzing in my jeans. It was Jacob asking me to meet him.
“I have to go,” I told Angela.
“You’re not staying for cake? Who leaves before the cake?”
“Save me a piece, then,” I said. I darted out of the house and found my truck. I dropped my keys on the ground. My nerves were jumpy. I expected Jasper to pop out of nowhere like usual. I open the door, and my world instantly went black. I panicked and kicked, thrashed. There was laughing all around me. Voices I knew. They had put something over my head.
I bent down as my stomach swelled up with pain. I had been hit. Someone took my arm, knocking me off balance, and dragged me across the wet asphalt. I screamed out, feeling a painful kick to my side. I curled up, after being kicked in the stomach. I couldn’t see anything. I could only hear laughter, both male and female voices. I wasn’t sure how many.
“Bella,” a girl kept calling out my name and laughing hysterically.
“Kick her again. Stomp on her,” a boy said, angrily. I felt that kicked, right in the chest.
“Such a beautiful swan,” a girl said in a sing- song voice. “Stand her up,” she ordered. I was being held up by two sets of hands. A blow crashed into my stomach, and I was restrained so I couldn’t get away. The blows kept coming and hitting the same spot, until the person who was hitting me got tired and stopped.
“Who do you think you are?” a female voice shouted , furiously. “You’re nothing!”
Boys laughed, as if a really funny joke was just told. Soon, I heard footsteps walking away and vehicles starting up, then zooming off. I didn’t even try to remove the bag from my head, my body ached whenever I tried to move.
It hurt to open my mouth. So lied there, sprawled out on the street, waiting for anyone to notice me.

Permalink Reply by Kelley Brady on January 12, 2013 at 1:34am

wow, amazing update!  Poor Bella, what a bunch of Jerks!  can't wait to read your next update!

 

Permalink Reply by balletgirl on January 12, 2013 at 3:14am

Chapter fifteen Unlikely Heroine
I rose, and then regretted it as pain crawled up my spine. I was in a hospital room, on a hospital bed, in one of those hideous gowns. Charlie and Jacob crowded me with their worried faces.
“Don’t try to speak,” Jacob warned.
“Bella, who did this to you,” Charlie asked. “Talk to us.” Charlie and Jacob seemed to be on different pages, but had the same concern. A nurse came over and took my arm. “Haven’t you pumped enough pain killers in her? What are trying to kill my daughter?” Charlie complained.
“I’m just doing what the doctor told me,” the nurse said. She proceeded to give me a shot.
“She needs to be able to talk so we can find out what happened,” Charlie countered. A faint voice made me lift my head. I saw Angela, Ashley, and Tyler and Lauren standing outside the hall, trying to peek inside.
“Lie down,” the nurse instructed, softly. “You need to rest and get back your strength.” She eyed Charlie as if he annoyed her.
I obeyed her, but when I woke, I didn’t feel any stronger. Charlie was right beside me.
“Wha- where’s Jake?” I stammered.
“Billy made him go to school,” Charlie said. “Your four friends said they found you unconscious in the road outside Lauren’s house. Lauren drove you to the hospital and used your cell phone to call me, and Jake, and your mother. She called everyone on your contacts list.”
“She called Rene?” I asked. He nodded. “She’s gonna be freaking out.”
“She has a good reason to be. You could have died. Bella, who did this to you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think.”
“I am thinking.”
“Think harder,” he urged. I squinted and opened my eyes. I had nothing. Charlie sighed. By the afternoon, I was allowed visitors and school had let out. Angela, Ashley, Lauren, and Tyler sat on the left side of my hospital bed, cautious yet curious of Jacob who sat on my right side, shooting them scrutinizing glances.
“So, how do you know Bella?” Lauren asked, striking up conversation, and popping gum.
“I’m her boyfriend,” Jacob replied. They all paused.
“Alright, break up the love fest,” a man said, coming through the door. “What are all these kids doing in here? I need to see about my patient. Move it. Move out of the way.” He herded them to the door and kicked them out. He seemed too old and loopy to still be doctoring.
“Hello, Bella. I’m Dr.Marshall,” he introduced himself and went through my charts. “No broken bones. Let’s see what else. Your blood was pretty low. That was strange. You have no prior health problems. We gave you a blood transfusion while you were knocked out, just in case something is wrong and we missed it.” He looked up and smiled at me. He closed the file. “I’m going to send you home with some vitamins and a water bottle. You’re free to go. You can call your dad.”
“Thanks, doctor,” I mumbled.
I was excused from school for the whole week. On Wednesday, I was curled up on the couch, eating ice cream and watching tv, feeling like a queen. Someone was at the door. I wrapped my blanket around me and went to go answer it. I never thought I’d see Lauren on my doorstep, but there she was.
“Hi,” we said. I invited her in, wandering what she was doing here.
“Thanks for what you did, getting me to the hospital,” I said.
“No problem,” she said.
“Is something wrong?”
She sat down on my sofa. “I wish I could say no,” she said. I didn’t know what to say. I went and sat next to her. “It’s times like these I wish I had better taste,” she said, in a joking manner
I didn’t know what she was getting at.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“That night, after I took you to the hospital, I grilled Ben. I made him tell me everything and every name. Then, I promised not to tell anyone. I’m breaking that promise. It’s over between us.”
“I thought you liked hi-.”
“Ben is beyond help,” she cut me off. “He’s not my problem anymore. He went beyond pranks and stupid high school bullcrap. That was abuse.” She got up and went to the door. I followed. “It was Ben, Mike, Cody,” she shook her head. “And, Jessica… Jessica Stanley.”
I looked at her, and I could tell she was heartbroken by her friends. “Do what you want with that information.” She turned and proceeded down the porch steps. I closed the door.

Chapter sixteen Retribution
That night at dinner, I sat across from Charlie, my arm inside a sling. We were having Chinese takeout.
“Are you starting to remember anything?” he asked.
“No,” I replied. It was a lie. I remembered everything, and now thanks to Lauren, I could match the names to the voices that terrorized me. I didn’t want Charlie to get involved. I wanted to handle this on my own. My heart had already been made hard from several nights of murderous lust, so I had no problem feeding my enemies to the beast. I called Ben and asked him to meet me out by Shannon Lake. Jasper and I would take them out one at a time.
I parked my truck under a tree and saw Jasper coming under the moonlight.
“Show him no mercy,” I breathed.
“Not my style, anyway,” Jasper said. Ben’s white corvette was parked in the distance by some bushes. He got out and briskly walked over to me. He was thick with arrogance. It was in his stride, and his face.
“Hey, Bella,” he said, as if the night of Lauren’s party had never happened. His dark smile made me sick to my stomach. He was very curious to why I would call him to this particular place. He knew he had never been here before by the way he looked around a little intimidated. “What’s this all about?”
“I hear Lauren broke up with you,” I said. His eyes narrowed.
“Yeah. Thanks to you,” he said.
“I didn’t have anything to do with your relationship. Everything was your fault. Deep down, you know it’s true.”
He scoffed. “Why am I here?”
“Tonight is the night you die, Benjamin” I said. “May God have mercy on you, because we sure wont.”
He froze. “Who the hell is we? You wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
I pulled the knife from behind my back. “You don’t know me at all.”
He hopped back, and laughed nervous. “I’d love to see you try.”
“I can’t wait to watch you die, to see your blood pouring out of you,” I said. He bucked his eyes at my strange words. I stalked towards him and he was moving back. He paused and lunged at me, attempting to relieve me of the knife. It went straight through his stomach. He yelled out in pain.
“This is the last time you underestimate me,” I said. I yanked the knife out of him, and blood spilled out of his mouth as he dropped to his knees. Jasper walked from out of the shadows. He had starved himself for this event, so he was good and hungry.
“Hey, Benny boy,” Jasper said, pulling Ben’s head towards him. Ben’s wide eyes stared up at the stranger, terror ripping through his body, as if he knew he was going to die. His face melted and he pleaded.
“No. Please,” Ben begged, softly. Jasper responded by ripping open the front of his neck with his fangs. He took in giant gulps, as I watched the life drain out of Ben. Jasper leaned his back against the tree, savoring every drop until the boy was empty inside. Jasper threw his head back, satisfied. Ben’s eyes could still blink. He wasn’t dead, yet. He just couldn’t move his limbs or his head. I wanted to leave him like that, but Jasper objected, saying it was a bad idea. Being paralyzed doesn’t mean he won’t find a way to tell people about tonight.
He got up and dragged Ben’s body over to the edge of the lake. We didn’t cut him up or bag him like usual. That would mean that we cared. We just let him roll into the lake. Jasper waited with a sinful smile across his face. The water bubbled and the piranhas came out for their dinner.
Jasper turned his head to me, with a look of longing in his piercing blue eyes. He had color back in his cheeks, and life to his blonde hair. He caressed my cheek with a cold hand, his eyes wanted something; remorse. I turned away and walked back to my truck. I sat there for a while, trying to make out what I was feeling.
I had no sympathy at all for Ben, and even though he was such a jerk, it still bothered me. I didn’t feel human anymore.
Jasper and I weren’t finished. They all had it coming. If they could beat me up and leave me to die, they could do it to anybody and they would. This thought kept me from turning back.
The next day at school, people were whispering and chattering about Ben. He didn’t come home last night. It annoyed me how much people cared. I crossed paths with Jessica and Mike in the hallway. It was bone chilling to know what they did and have to look at them now. I didn’t say anything to them and they didn’t bother me. They had guilty written all over their faces, even as they tried to seem normal. I took refuge in the fact that I had Lauren on my side and not theirs. She wasn’t friends with them anymore. Maybe it was Ben holding her back from being a descent person the whole time. It worried me that Mike, Jessica, and Cody might get away scott free. It didn’t have to. All I had to do really was turn them over to the police and Lauren would serve as a witness. But, why go that route when I had vampires willing to kill anyone for me. That seemed the easier option and it put a sinister smile on my face. I had crossed over to the dark side, and it didn’t bother me that I had anymore. I felt at ease with myself, as nutty as it sounds.

Chapter seventeen The Gift
Jacob showed up at my house around 9pm. I was doing homework when he knocked on my bedroom door. He had something to say and I was nervous. I wasn’t going to beg for another chance because I knew he wasn’t going to give me one.
I let him in and we sat on my bed.
“You were right,” he finally spoke.
“Jake.”
“No, let me finish,” he said. “You made a mistake.”
“I know.”
He paused to collect himself. “I won’t tell a soul. Your secret is safe with me.” A painful expression shifted onto his face. His words hurt him as much as they hurt me inside. “Don’t ask if we can be friends. It’s impossible, especially now.”
I nodded, in sorrowful agreement.
“I’m going to be alone forever,” he thought aloud. I didn’t attempt to appease him. Deep down, I knew it was true, and it was because of me. “I can’t forgive you. I still love you, but I just can’t do it.”
“I’m really sorry for all that I’ve done,” I said. “Especially for what I’ve done to you. I know you can’t be friends with someone with a heart as cold and dark as mine.” My hand had found his shoulder. He removed it and held it.
“You’re right again. We just don’t belong together,” he said, with a sad smile. He set my hand on my lap and got up. “Good and evil can never be together.”
I looked up at him, lost. He was still being so mysterious, even after I had told him everything. Maybe he didn’t trust me. Our relationship was that much broken. He reached for the knob and turned it, and he left.
Charlie left for work and gave me 20 bucks to head to the store with a grocery list. He wanted to attempt his first lasagna.
I came out of the supermarket with my shopping cart and tucked the groceries inside. When I turned around, Jasper was right there. The breath had been spooked out of me and I was trying to get air.
“Stop doing that!” I said, holding my chest.
“I’m sorry,” he said. It was the first time he had ever apologized for that. There was a long pause.
“I have to go,” I said, breaking the silence. I turned to get inside, and Jasper touched my arm.
“Wait a second,” he said. “I broke up with Alice.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Why? She was so perfect.”
“I fell in love with someone else,” he revealed.
“Who?”
“My brother was right. I was falling for you,” he shook his head. “Probably why I was so hard on you. I tried to keep you with me. And I realized fear isn’t the way to do that.”
I was stunned quiet. “I’m releasing you,” he continued. “I don’t want you to be unhappy anymore.”
“Releasing me?” My eyes filled up with tears.
“It’s what you wanted, right? Why are you crying?”
He was upset that he had made me cry. “I have to get home,” I sobbed. “I can’t see you.” I got into my truck and sped away.
Charlie made the lasagna and it was surprisingly tasty.
“Good job, Dad,” I complimented. He smiled at the small enthusiasm I showed. I had been in a sour mood ever since I returned.
“You been feeling alright, lately?” he asked, as he ate.
I nodded, but he knew me too well. He didn’t ask me about anything, afraid his words wouldn’t be good enough to comfort me.
After I took a shower and got into bed, I felt the uneasiness of someone standing over me. I sat up slowly and turned around.
“Jasper,” I breathed. He sat down on my bed.
“How is Alice doing?” I asked. I felt responsible and she was all I thought about.
“Don’t worry about her,” he said. “She’s fine.”
“I wouldn’t be fine if I were her.”
“Well, you’re not her,” he countered. He leaned into me. “I want to give you something.”
“What is it?” I trembled at his touch.
“A gift.”
I stared at him in the pale moonlight that seeped through the opened window. “Where is it?” I asked, noticing he was empty handed. He chuckled.
“This is not like anything you can purchase. It’s priceless, just like you.”
My cheeks fired up. “What is the gift?”
“Death,” he said. “And then life, again. All the killing won’t matter to you anymore. You and I being together will wash away all that reality. You’ll finally be happy.”
I didn’t respond. I leaned back a little and offered my neck. Jasper unbuttoned my violet night gown. His fangs gently grazed the skin. I was terrified about dying, but I had to trust that he would bring me back to life. My life… and death, was literally in his hands. It started off with a soft kiss that turned into a deep bite. I moaned as my chest rose and my fingers tangled in the sheets. When I was struggling for air, I knew I was dying. So, I stopped struggling and invited death into me. Calm, I closed my eyes and Jasper let me fall back on the bed. I drifted so far, until I could not return.
Chapter eighteen Awakening
Three weeks later, I had awakened with new eyes, crisp clear vision. I was in a room which I immediately recognized as Carlisle’s basement. The lid of the coffin had lifted and I stared up into Jasper’s face. His satisfied smile stretched from cheek to cheek.
“Well, aren’t you a lovely sight,” he said. I sat up and breathed in the dusty air, then I coughed. Jasper took my hand and helped me out of the coffin. Edward was standing under the stairs. I stopped, not expecting to see him so soon.
“Hello, Bella,” Edward said.
“Hi,” I responded. My voice was light and chipper. I took a step towards him, and tripped over my own foot. I fell flat on my face. Edward chuckled and Jasper laughed out loud.
“You haven’t changed much,” Jasper said, sounding disappointed.
“I think she’s perfect,” Edward said. Jasper put his arm around me.
“Welcome to the coven, Bella,” Jasper said. We walked up the stairs and went into the spacious living room. Carlisle, Alice, and Rosalie were all there with conflicting expressions on their faces. Carlisle didn’t know what to think. Rosalie looked pissed, and Alice looked uncomfortable. I shrunk back a little, not really feeling the love.
“Jasper, what have you done?” Carlisle asked, with wide and weary eyes.
“Isn’t it obvious,” Rosalie said. “He’s turned his lil mistress into a vampire.”
“I am not his mistress,” I shot back. “I am his lover.” I regretted the last word as soon it left my mouth. Alice looked down and when she looked up, her eyes were blazing with hatred. I retreated into Jasper’s arms. Edward rolled his eyes.
“Don’t worry about them. They’ll come around,” Jasper said into my ear. Edward glanced at me sideways before Jasper and I left the room. I caught my reflection in a mirror in the hall. My hands flew up to my face.
“Oh,” I said, horrified at what I was looking at. Deep purple bags set under my eyes. My skin was scary pale and my eyes were bleak and lifeless.
“That’s nothing a little blood won’t fix,” Jasper said. We went to an upstairs window. “After you, lover.”
I nodded and jumped down. Expecting to hit the ground, the air lifted me up, and I was literally flying.
“Woah,” I said, shocked at myself. I looked back and Jasper was right behind me. He came up beside me. “I can’t believe I’m flying. I feel like Wendy.”
He passed me and I followed, gracefully weaving through trees like a bird. We heard the loud, boisterous sounds of a party going on. Jasper and I landed in the driveway of a nice sized house. I knew some of the faces from school. I looked through a window and saw Mike and Jessica making out in the kitchen of the house. Cody was sharing a beer with his date.
“Who’s it going to be?” Jasper asked, eagerly and excited.
“I know exactly who I want,” I said. I never took my eyes off of them. I knew where they were at every moment. And when I couldn’t see them, I could hear their hearts beating and I followed the sound of three nervous, guilty people. I reached my arm through the window above the sink and pulled Jessica through. It only took a second. Then, I reached back in for Mike. Cody’s face turned white and his blonde strands stood up on his head. He bolted, running through the house and ran out the backdoor into the yard. Jasper caught him and threw him on the ground.
He looked up at Jasper and crawled backwards, upright. I slammed Jessica’s head into a car door. The alarm went off and she was instantly dead. Mike looked at her, his eyes popping with fear. I tossed him into the bushes. I heard Cody screaming and crying in the distance, and I smiled at Mike.
“Bella,” Mike’s voice trembled, as he realized who and what he was dealing with. I knew I looked different, a pale, creepy version of my former self. His entire body was shaking. I grabbed him up by his collar and took my first bite, ripping through his flesh. His cries didn’t bother me, as I no longer had a soul. I couldn’t stop. I devoured him, mercilessly. I let his body fall against the door of the car. I looked up and saw Jasper dragging over a dead Cody. He was so beautiful, and he stared at me with proud eyes.
“You look amazing,” Jasper said. I didn’t believe him. I saw my reflection before we left the Cullen house. Jasper turned the rearview mirror towards me and I saw myself, the new me. My skin glowed, and my eyes were a rich chocolate.
“I look alive,” I cheered. “More than ever before.”
“Being dead has its perks,” Jasper shrugged. I turned to him and he smiled. “Let’s go, lover.”
We flew above the trees, and as high as we wanted to go. Charlie hadn’t crossed my mind until now. I dived down into a tree top and thought about him.
“What have I done?” I asked myself. Jasper was next to me. “Charlie.” I looked at him. He seemed to understand.
“You can’t ever see him again,” Jasper said. He realized he had done the opposite of cheering me up. “The bright side is you can watch over him, like an angel.”
I managed a smile for him. An angel was the farthest thing I ever expected to be called.
“I have you,” I said. “You make everything better.”
“I told you,” he said, a little arrogantly. I pecked his cheek with a kiss. Below us, there was a ruffling through the vegetation, the earth was quaking. Branches moved with a weird motion, like something big was down there moving around. Jasper threw his arm around me.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Sh!” he warned, putting his hand over my lips. We glided down lower in the tree. My eyes bucked, astonished at what I was seeing. Six huge wolves were on the ground.
“Looks like we just crashed a secret over-sized wolf meeting,” Jasper whispered in my ear. I wanted a closer look, so I moved down the branch, not thinking that it wouldn’t be strong enough to hold my weight. I fell through the limbs of the tree, breaking some on my way down until I finally hit the ground. I was in the center of something, surrounded by giant wolves that circled me.
“Bella,” Jasper called my name from the treetop. I looked up and the wolves snarled. The silver one pounced at me, but was knocked down by the brown one. They seemed to be communicating, arguing. I scooted back, but they all had me blocked. The brown wolf stepped in front of me. I watched as its body contorted, morphed, and shrunk down to the form of a man, a man I knew very well.
“Jacob?” I breathed. Jasper dropped down and landed on his feet. He immediately charged Jacob. “No!” I screamed. The wolves protected him, throwing Jasper off his balance, and tossing him into the air with their muzzles. He dodged their long incisors and snatched me up off the ground. We took off running for our lives, something I thought vampires would never have to do, ever. The wolves were right on our tails, and they weren’t slowing down or giving up. My plan was to outrun them. Above my head, the brown wolf was flying. It was Jacob. He came down, landing right in front of me, digging his paws into the dirt with a rough landing. I couldn’t stop fast enough and I crashed into him. His giant paws slammed around me like protective bars. He growled and gnarled at the other wolves. I shrieked under his protective stance. The other wolves were backing off, but they still seemed angry.
****
Later, I was standing in a clearing. Jasper was waiting for me by the trees. Jacob came out of the bushes, wearing only a pair of jeans.
"So, you're a vampire now?" he sounded and looked disgusted with me.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, ignoring his expression.
His face softened. "There wasn't anything to tell. It's not my secret to go blabbing about."
"You're a skinwalker." I was still trying to make sense of what I had seen in the woods.
"Skin walkers are just a scary story. We're shapeshifters, actually. Maybe that's how those stories got started."
"Now we know there is some truth to them," I said.
"Yeah. Some," he responded.
"What does this mean for us?" I asked. A part of me didn't want it confirmed, but I already knew.
"Our kinds are enemies, but you and I don't have to be. They won't kill you because even though you're a vampire, you're still my imprint. But, that doesn't mean they won't try, so be careful out here." He winked, making me grin.
"Bye, Jake," I said.
"Bye, Bella." His hand slipped out of mine, and I walked towards Jasper who was waiting for me.
"Where to now?" I asked, my hand pressed on Jasper's back.
"Name it, and we're there," he said, with a smile. I reached up and kissed his lips.
"Who knew dying could make a person feel so alive," I said.
"Like Peter said, to die is an awefully big adventure."
"I don't think he was talking about vampires."
"Well, let's just pretend that he was talking about us. Not vampires. You and me," Jasper said. "What's up first on our big adventure?"
I thought for a few seconds. "I've always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower up close and personal," I said.
"Paris, here we come," he said. We pushed off the ground, and were flying up in the clouds, holding hands and looking into each others' eyes. Peter was definitely on to something.

The End

Permalink Reply by Seugnet du Toit on January 12, 2013 at 12:14pm

What a lot of twists and turns!  Now they're going to Paris!  I'm just wondering what will happen with Edward and Alice, or will they accept this?

Permalink Reply by Kelley Brady on January 13, 2013 at 12:40am

love it! i thought she would end up with Edward but having her end up with Jasper was a great twist!

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