Snow On The Beach

Chapter Sixteen

Roslyn hadn't been able to find a demon anywhere between Seattle and Forks, and she didn't know how to feel about it. She'd had to settle for a mountain lion she'd heard in the forest and a junkie already on his deathbed who's blood set her buzzing for hours. 

She was still out of it by time she made it back to the Cullen's, falling onto the couch in Jasper's bedroom and throwing an arm over her eyes. 

"Remind me to stay away from drugs," she groaned, rolling onto her side to see him grinning at her from the other side of the room. 

"Don't let Carlisle hear that you drained a human." Jasper drawled. "He won't allow you back in the house."

He was joking, the grin on his face never wavering as he loaded a vinyl onto his record player. Christian Kane played not long after, the sounds of a harmonica and a guitar filling the room. Roslyn gave him an exasperated look, rolling her eyes.

"Really, Jaz? This?" 

Jasper shrugged, joining her on the couch as she sat up. He threw an arm around her shoulders, but couldn't hide the laughter in his voice as he said, "My records, my rules."

"That means you can't complain about my music next time you're in my car." Roslyn poked Jasper's side to further solidify her point.

"Rebel, your music is loud and abrasive." He gestured to the record player. "This is good music."

Roslyn's jaw dropped as she stared at Jasper, an offended hand over her heart. "I'll have you know that not all of my music is '80s rock."

"You're right," Jasper amended, his laughter interrupting his accent. "The rest of it is Tchaikovsky."

She continued her staring, searching her mind for a sarcastic retort that would silence him forever, but all that came to mind was an insult.

"Bitch."

Jasper tipped his head back and laughed, the sound filling the small room. A grin forced its way onto Roslyn's face and she turned away from him to hide it. He started humming along to the song and she could hear his toe tapping in his boot.

Roslyn only lasted another two songs before she lurched to her feet. "I can't take the nothingness anymore. This is too much thinking and not enough... anything else. Follow if you want."

She didn't wait for a reply before storming down the stairs and out into the forest. Dimly, Roslyn was aware of the music shutting off and Jasper's quiet footsteps following her out, but she didn't acknowledge him. And then she was running. 

The ground flew by beneath Roslyn's feet. And then she was vaulting the river beyond the Cullen's yard. Jasper kept pace with her, an easier feat than it typically was thanks to Roslyn's change in diet. She skidded to a stop in the Cullen's baseball field, dirt spraying beneath her heels. Jasper faced her and Roslyn bared her fangs at the artificial feeling of energy that flooded through her. 

He didn't keep it up for long, raising his hands in surrender as he took a step back.

"Good choice," Roslyn said, relaxing with a grin. She bounced on the balls of her feet, balling her hands into fists in front of her. "Now, hit me."

Jasper blinked, his jaw tightening. "Beg your pardon?"

"You heard me. Hit. Me."

"Roslyn," Jasper took another step away from her, burrowing his hands into his pockets and looking anywhere but at her. "I'm not gonna fight you."

Roslyn's hand gripped Jasper's jaw and she forced him to look at her, the violet of her eyes glowing dimly. "Yes the fuck you are."

Jasper blinked again, his eyes flashing momentarily before he wrenched his jaw from her hand. "Did you just try to compel me, rebel?"

She knew it was childish, but Roslyn stomped her foot hard on he ground. "Damn, I forgot about your anti-me shit."

They'd found out ages ago that Jasper was immune to her compulsion, something about his emotional manipulation preventing his emotions and thoughts from being controlled. Ordinarily, Roslyn wouldn't even try to control other people - vampires, whatever - but she was desperate. 

Roslyn heaved air unnecessarily into her lungs, digging her fingers into her hair. "I just... I need to do something to get me to feel anything but this. Maybe Sam was right: maybe I need to stop falling into the old cycle of not feeling." She shrugged, staring at Jasper with eyes that were all but devoid of emotion. "Maybe all my sadness has been replaced with rage."

"Ros, rage doesn't always mean you need to hit something." Jasper reasoned. 

Roslyn was well aware of Jasper's history of violence, and she knew him well enough by then that she knew when he was disappearing into the past. She kicked his shin and he glared at her.

"Stop that," she bit out. "I don't want to fight you because I feel the need to hit something. I want to fight you because you're the only one who can keep up with me and if I'm going to spend the summer doing my job, I can't be out of practice."

She watched as Jasper thought it over, tilting his head back and forth. She also saw the exact moment he gave in to her request: the corners of his mouth tipped up and he rolled his eyes.

"Next time you want to spar, phrase it better."