Hope - Jasper Hale

Hope - Chapter 8

-8-

One second I am convulsing in overpowering pain, but in the next second the pain is completely gone. As I inhale I catch a delightful scent that is essentially irresistible. I open my eyes, everything looks so detailed, I figure this a dream and decide to follow my instincts. I chase after the scent that is torturing me, making my throat burn with an intense desire to quench my thirst. 

Thump, thump...

That sound was pounding in my ears again. I was so loud it nearly gave me a headache. I was so close to finding the source when I collided with something... rather something collided with me since there was nothing in front of me.

As I tried to get up to go to the scent, I was restrained. I growled at the restraint, but as soon as I did I went flying in the completely opposite direction into a tree. I was caught again, and the person was trying to run with me like I was a football, but my thrashing made that difficult. 

“Relax, Violet,” A commanding voice said. 

Jasper? I instantly cease any movement, and look up to see the blond. 

Jasper gets off the ground, his hair is a bird’s nest and his eyes a red. A woman walks with a child she is holding up. He attacks the child and bites his neck... the same way I did to that boy from the school. 

He stands up and looks at the corpse with wide eyes, “Why did I... I killed a child!” 

“Officer Hale, you are superior to them now, you can kill humans. You are better than them,” The woman says. 

“W-what exactly am I, ma’am?” 

“A vampire.” 

“You saw my past,” Jasper notes looking at me intently. 

“What?” I instantly freak out. 

“Violet, we need to get you out of here before you attack another human-”

“WHAT?!” I shriek. 

He sighs, “Please relax.” 

I feel a wave of serenity wash over me. I look at him curiously, “What did you do?” 

“It’s my... ‘talent’?” 

“What?” 

“Don’t you know? You were with the Volturi?” 

“Volturi?” 

“A coven of vampires in-”

“Vampires, don’t exist!” 

“Violet-”

I begin to panic, “I’m dreaming. I have to be dreaming. This is a dream, right?”

“It’s not dream-”

“But if I was dreaming that would be something that anyone would say to me. So that means-”

“Listen to me, Violet, you were in an accident a few months ago that involved the Volturi-”

“Actually, a few months ago I was kidnapped by this weird group of people and this guy named, Alec, did something to my wrist like you just did... Then this other guy named, Felix, strapped me to a chair where a raven-haired man tried to erase my memory!” 

“They are the Volturi, Violet,” Jasper says softly, as if trying not to provoke me like I am a wild animal. “Alec bite you, only injecting a little venom into you a few months ago so your transformation was slow. Remember all that weird stuff that was happening to you?”

“How do you know about that!” I frown. 

He sighs, “Edward was really worried about you. But the not sleeping or eating and the affects of the sun on your skin are things vampires experience.” 

“No, no, no, no-” 

“I bit you, so that your transformation would be quicker and you wouldn’t end up suffering for awhile,” He explains. 

“How do vampires die?” 

He looks at me with sad eyes as if he already knows why I asked, “Violet, don’t ask questions like that.” 

“How do vampires die?” I raise my voice. 

 “I can’t tell you.” 

“You can’t or you won’t?” 

“Both,” He says. 

“Well I’m going to find out,” I stand up. 

“Violet!” Jasper calls trying to chase after me, but I am fast. That is an understatement. I am unstoppable. Maybe I am really a vampire and this isn’t some afterlife dream.  

The sound from earlier is back and now that Jasper is nowhere in sight, I make my move to attack. I spot the source stalking a deer. It is a mountain lion. 

Thump...

The sound is too much to bear and I attack instantly. The mountain lion fights with me, but with one squeeze he is helpless and goes limp. I heard a crack, did I do that? Could I do that? My teeth pierce his skin like it is soft butter and I gulp down his blood. 

More. I hear the same sound not too far away from the area and prepare for the attack. This time I find a herd of deer and I attack three of them. I feel completely full by then and the burning in my throat is dull so now I can focus on how to kill myself... if I am not already dead. 

If this is a dream it will mean nothing. It is impossible to be a vampire. They don’t exist. I have nothing to lose, I already prepared myself for death this morning. Now I can take my life with my own hands. 

I decide to try the simplest method first - drowning. After an hour of holding my head under water in a lake, I am still alive. Next, I decide I will jump from somewhere deathly high. I pick a very large tree and fling myself from the top branch. I land on my feet completely unscathed. Is this some twisted dream or am I really a vampire? 

I pick up a rock and try to jam it into my skin, but the rock crumbles instead of piercing my skin. I begin to worry. Why am I not dead? I let out a screech and fear that Jasper may still be following me so I run. 

“Violet!” I hear confirming my suspicions. 

I stop dead in my tracks at the scene before me. I went in a complete circle and I find myself right in front of the area where the boy’s corpse is. The boy I killed this afternoon, an innocent school kid. 

I sink to my knees and just hope that maybe Jasper will be merciful and kill me.