Red Reaper // Twilight J.H.

06 // UNORTHODOX

//

Nikita strolled out of the school building feeling like she was in a daze. After sixth period, the school day had come to an end and most of the students were getting ready to head home. Several of the older students had their own cars and driver's licenses, and therefore were able to drive home on their own. Nikita didn't have a license, nor did she have her own vehicle, and so Owen would be picking her up.

As the Red Room girl made her way towards the parking lot, she felt the hairs on her neck stand. An eerie feeling washed over her, and she recognized it as the feeling of being watched. Nikita instinctively glanced around, prepared for an ambush of some sort.

It wasn't an attacker -- or at least not right now it wasn't. As she searched for the source of the staring, her eyes landed on the group of possible vampires. They were crowded together by an expensive looking car, and their mouths weren't moving, so they weren't talking. They were just watching her. Observing her.

There was another person among them, one Nikita hadn't seen in any of her classes. He had light brown hair, porcelain white skin, and golden eyes. The last two traits in that list matched the rest of the family, and therefore meant he could be a vampire as well. She recalled his name to be Edward from the gossiping of the other students.

Nikita didn't let their staring deter her. Instead, she continued on her way towards where she spotted Owen's vehicle. The man was waiting for her patiently, fiddling with the radio of his truck. The Red Reaper mentally sighed, knowing the ride to the Nichols' household would probably be full of music.

The brunette girl climbed into the truck. After doing so, Owen immediately asked, "Anything?"

Nikita paused, considering the possibility of telling him about the suspects. They could be vampires, but what if they weren't? And even if they were, there's no way they were responsible for the recent killings in Forks. No vampire would be able to kill something and then resist the urge to drink its blood, right? Their eyes were golden, not crimson. Besides, she needed to get closer to them. What if she told Owen about them and then missed her opportunity to get more information?

"No," she finally answered. "Nothing."

//

Jasper Hale watched as the new girl, Nicole Reynolds, left the school building. He stood with his adopted siblings at one of their cars, chattering idly. They seemed to notice him staring at something. As they followed his gaze towards her, they stopped speaking and instead settled for watching her as well.

Nicole was an intriguing person to Jasper, although he might be a bit biased. After all, she was his mate. His blood singer. He's waited countless years to find her, and here she was. Except now that she's here, he's unsure of what to do. He doesn't know how to speak to her properly. It's like being human again, and having the breath knocked from his lungs every time she's around.

Her blood was very desirable to him. It smelled intoxicating, but not completely overpowering. It was strange, actually. He can sense they are mates, and yet, he's able to control himself around her. He always feared having a human mate; what if he hurt them? Killed them? But with Nicole, he finds he's able to restrain himself. It was odd and indescribable.

And during art class, something strange had happened. When Nicole told them about her parents being dead, Jasper didn't sense any sorrow or grief from the girl. Instead, he sensed other emotions such as annoyance and even a hint of amusement. Was his empathy power acting up? Or was Nicole lying about her parents?

Nicole seemed to notice the Cullen family observing her. She briefly met their gazes, then turned and continued strolling towards wherever she was heading. She seemed almost careless about their staring.

'Read her mind,' Jasper thought, directing it towards Edward. He was curious what Nicole was thinking. In fact, he was curious about a lot of things regarding her. He wanted to know anything and everything about her.

Edward seemed to be obeying Jasper's request, because he narrowed his eyes slightly, as if concentrating. For a long moment, he listened to Nicole's thoughts. Then, his eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment, and he turned towards the rest of the family.

"Weird," Edward muttered.

"Is something wrong with her thoughts?" Jasper queried, immediately feeling a small pang of concern. Despite not knowing her very well, Nicole was still his mate.

Edward frowned. "I don't think so.... It sounded like she was thinking in another language."

Alice perked up. "I heard she speaks Spanish too," she chipped in. "Was it Spanish?"

Edward shook his head. "Definitely not. Sounded like she was repeating one phrase a lot, though. Mozhet byt... or something, I don't know," he explained. "Sorry, Jasper."

Jasper frowned, but nodded understandingly. He returned his gaze to Nicole, watching as she climbed into a gray truck. There was a man in the driver's seat, who didn't seem to share any features to the brunette girl. They probably weren't blood-related. He had heard the rumors, though, of a new girl who was being taken in by her deceased father's longtime friend. Perhaps that was him?

What language could Nicole be thinking in? If it wasn't Spanish and wasn't English, then what could it be?

One thing was for sure: Nicole Reynolds was unorthodox.

//

Author's Note: so sorry this took so long! The translation for the phrase Nikita/Nicole was thinking in her head is below. :)

TRANSLATIONS:

Mozhet byt', vampiry (Может быть, вампиры) - Maybe vampires