Bloody Mary // J. Hale

Mother and Daughter

Merry Christmas!
A little gift from me to you, a chapter!
I hope y'all are enjoying some good quality time with your family and/or friends! ❤️

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It was Saturday, and tonight was the spring dance. At Forks High, students were scrambling to perfect their outfits, agonizing over hair and makeup, their energy buzzing with anticipation. But Jenna wasn't going. She didn't see the joy in fussing over her appearance or being in loud crowds dancing to pop music she wasn't even interested in.

Instead, she claimed the rare burst of sunshine for herself, laying a floral picnic blanket across the soft grass in the backyard. The air smelled of damp earth, the warmth of spring nudging the gloom aside. Jenna slipped a CD into her player, letting the familiar melody flow through her earbuds. Closing her eyes, she let the sun bathe her face and pretended, just for a moment, that she could be at peace.

The clouds shifted lazily above her, casting fleeting shadows that danced across her skin. Once, she'd loved moments like these—simple and unburdened. Now, her thoughts refused to settle. No matter how hard she tried to drift, Jasper's face kept rising to the surface of her mind.

What was he? The question had hooked itself onto her, and she couldn't stop tugging at it. His lopsided smile, the cool touch of his hand, the way he seemed to move without a sound—it all added up to something she couldn't quite piece together.

But focusing on him was better than facing herself.

Jenna opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on the ever-shifting clouds. It had been almost three months since she came back to Forks, and still, it didn't feel like home. The familiar streets and faces hadn't changed, but she had. A mix of alienation and longing tugged at her every time she walked into town—a yearning for the life she used to have, one she wasn't sure she could reclaim.

She used to dream of being normal, of fitting in. But deep down, she knew the truth: she'd never been normal. Pretending otherwise now felt like chasing the clouds—futile and exhausting.

This week, she'd stopped taking her medication. Completely. It had started as an experiment, a quiet rebellion to see if the pills were doing anything at all. They weren't. The voices in her head were as loud and relentless as ever, pressing against her thoughts no matter what she did.

The only difference was physical—no more dry mouth, no more dizzy spells when she stood too fast. Her body felt lighter, freer, but her mind was the same tangled mess.

And then there was the truth, gnawing at her, undeniable and unwelcome: Sam had been right. He'd warned her this would happen, and she hated that he'd been right. She hated the sharp twist of resentment every time his voice echoed in her memory.

"There's so much more to the world—more than meets the eye."

She couldn't outrun herself. Not anymore. But sometimes, she wished she could just disappear—sink into the sunlight, the clouds, the quiet, and forget it all.

And then there was Jasper. The calmness he radiated was addictive, a soothing presence that seemed to draw her in effortlessly. Everything about him captivated her—the way his smooth, Southern drawl lingered in the air, or how his lips would curve into a lopsided smile that could make her forget everything else. To call him beautiful was an understatement, but then again, that was true of all the Cullens.

Jenna's thoughts wandered as she mentally compiled a list. They weren't just beautiful; Bella had told her they could appear out of nowhere, as if they moved faster than humanly possible. But there was something else—something Jenna couldn't ignore. Jasper was always cold to the touch, a chill that sent shivers down her spine every time their hands brushed.