Sanctuary

2. Hale

School was going well and Lena was settling into her new schedule well. Except biology. She was placed in the same class as Jasper Hale and just so happened to be his new lab partner. It had been a whole week of sitting next to him and he had still not said a word to her. At lunch she sat with Bella and the Cullen/Hale family and there he didn't talk to her either but here she was right next to him, mere feet away. He barely looked at her, or so she thought.
Lena slumped down in her seat and pulled out her sketch book as there was still a few minutes before class started. "What are you working on today?" Jasper asked glancing over at her notebook. Lena nearly jumped out of her seat she was so taken aback that he had actually talked to her. "Today?" She choked out as her face flushed lightly. Did he see what she had worked on other days? He flashed a crooked smile that made Lena's heart drop into her stomach. "I've noticed you draw in any free moment you have. You're very good by the way." Jasper complemented as he leaned back in his seat. "Th-thanks. I guess I do quite a bit." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. It was no secret that Lena didn't have much experience in talking to beautiful men such as Jasper Hale. Just his presence put fluttering butterflies in her stomach.
Class began shortly after that and today they had a lab. Mr. Banner went around to each table and distributed a goldfish in a glass bowl. Lena looked down at the fish swimming about with a confused face, hoping she wasn't going to have to dissect a live fish. "The purpose of the experiment is to work with an living organism. Observe its responses to varying environmental conditions, such as change in temperature , and to account on repetitive observations that draw conclusions based on statistical analysis and limitations in data interpretation." Mr. Banner explained. "You'll need to keep your fish not just alive but thriving. It will account for a good portion of your grades so take it seriously. For now you'll record the initial ph level and temperature of the water." Lena looked at the fish again and then at Jasper. "Looks like we're parents" she said with a light smile. "Seems to be that way." Jasper smiled back at her as he spoke. His thick southern accent stirred the butterflies in her stomach a little more. They worked together to get the information they needed and created a chart to keep track of everything. They still had a considerable amount of time left and they'd decided to give their shared pet a name. "What about Finley?" Lena offered. She rested her head down on the table as she watched the fish swim about. "That's clever. Finley it is." Jasper leaned down next to her although his eyes were focused on her more than anything.
Weeks ago Alice had had a vision about a girl that was going to come into Jaspers life sooner or later. "It's odd. The image is fuzzy but I see you with a girl with long brown hair and crystal blue eyes. You had her wrapped in your arms and you kissed her on the head. I saw her earlier this week with Bella. I heard her call her Lena." Alice explained. Bella looked over from her her spot next to Edward on the piano bench "June bug?" She questioned. "She's one of my best friends. She's moving to Forks in a few weeks." She explained to the inquisitive looking vampires. Jasper couldn't believe it. He thought Edward was insane for bringing a human into his life. Now Alice had seen him do the very same thing. She was hardly ever wrong about her visions.  Jasper ran his tongue along the inside of his lip. "You have to be wrong. It just can't be." He told Alice. His family was all gathered around in the living room not saying too much. "But I don't think I am. I've caught other glimpses of you with her before. This one has been the clearest."
Now that she was here Jasper tried his hardest to distance himself from her but fate seemed to getting in the way of his plans. He couldn't help but smile when he saw her. She was small and quiet but she was also very unique. She was beautiful. The blue of her eyes was astounding. It had quickly become his new favorite color. Up until today Jasper had settled for stolen glances while she sketched or read. He couldn't ignore her anymore though. He felt a strange magnetic pull to her. He could feel her emotions even more so than anyone else he'd ever come across. She was intensely sad inside but masked it so well. Jasper couldn't help but wonder why. He had tried to ask Bella about it but she simply frowned and said it wasn't her story to tell. "What are you thinking about?" He asked her quietly. Lena's eyes moved from the fish to Jaspers ochre eyes. "My mom." She surprised herself when she answered him. She hadn't talked about her mom to anyone except Bella. "I haven't told anyone this but she died in a fire about six months ago. I miss her like crazy." Jasper leaned closer to her and almost placed his hand over hers before he realized what he was doing and pulled away. "I'm sorry Lena. I had no idea. I couldn't imagine losing Esme." He placed his hand down next to hers, his fingers just barely brushed against hers. "It's okay. No one wants to lose their mom and I never thought I would. But hopefully with time it will get easier." She sighed as she pulled at her sleeves. She had been careful about covering up the fresh bruises her father had given her the night before. Her body was sore and she hadn't slept a wink in a few nights and you could see it in her face. The bell rang before their conversation went any farther but they did decide that Lena would take Finley home for the first week and they'd trade back and forth, coming to each others houses once a week to record information together. It was lunch period and Lena felt bad leaving their fish in her locker so she brought it with her. "Junie. Why do you have a fish?" Bella asked as she sat in her usual space between Edward and Lena. "Not just any fish Bells, this is Finley. Jasper and I are parents." Lena told Bella. "Didn't see that one coming." Alice chirped. "He's our biology project. I didn't want to put him in my locker so he's my lunch date. Suppose I'll have to take him to my AP trig class too." Lena sighed as she pushed around the salad in front of her. She wasn't exactly hungry after her night. "Not hungry?" Jasper asked her. "Not particularly." Her eyes met his and everyone else at the table took notice. Alice nudged Jasper's side "I told you." She said in a sing song voice.