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Chapter Four

After Phys. Ed. Liberty took a quick shower and then changed back into her normal clothes before bagging up her gym clothes to take them home. Picking up all her things she then headed out of the locker room and went to her locker to grab her book bag and what she needed for homework.

As she closed her locker she looked around the hall. It had emptied out faster than usual and she couldn’t help but wonder why as most everything had fallen into a mostly unchanging schedule. Liberty found out why a few moments later when she saw a group of the football players standing almost in a huddle, very obviously discussing something they considered to be important.

Liberty could hear some of what they were saying as she walked past them. What she heard was not surprising considering who they were. The few words Liberty did manage to grasp from it all were “teaching a lesson” and “the new kid.”

What had Jasper done to incur that wrath, especially on his first day? From what she knew of him, he was a rather solitary person and only spoke when he absolutely had to. Aside from his intense and sometimes cold gaze, she couldn’t think of anything that would have led to this scenario.

Then again, these particular football players had not seen Jasper’s displays of strength in Phys. Ed. If Jasper knew anything about fighting at all then the athletes would not stand a chance. Still though, there were seven of them and they were sure to attack all at once. It was an unfair advantage, one she didn’t approve of.

Liberty kept on walking down the hall and turned into the office when she saw Jasper getting ready to walk out. She held her hand up to stop him. “Wait, you shouldn’t go out there.”

Jasper fixed his dark brown gaze on her. “Why not?” The question sounded detached, as if he did not care to hear the answer.

“Just trust me. If you walk down the hall you may run into some trouble. The football players, well they can be hot headed and…”

“And they do not like me,” he finished. “What they may try to do is of no concern to me.” Jasper stepped around her and took a few steps to add distance between them. “Goodbye, Liberty.”

He turned and walked away from her, heading down the hall without even thinking of the supposed danger. It was unlikely that the football players would be able to do anything to him anyway. Jasper saw them standing near a group of lockers but he continued down the hall, making his way to his own locker. After spinning the combination he grabbed his bag, leaving his textbooks there for the next day.

When he closed his locker it became even more obvious what the stupid athletes were trying to do. It was clear that they had moved closer to him. Jasper couldn’t help but think on how absurd it was, especially since there was practically no attempt at subterfuge. At least in other schools they had tried that fake friendship so they could try and lead him into an ambush.

He smirked slightly before turning and glaring right at the group. As was the typical response, he noted that they flinched away. A couple of them even paled in fright. It all had to do with that feral glint in his eyes; people always thought it made him look vicious, as if he were going to kill them and rip them apart for the sheer pleasure of it. Jasper sighed as they began to back away. No, that pleasure would be saved for another day. There were more important hunts to worry about.

If everything went according to his plans this time then he would not be staying in this small town for too long. The creature he was following had been elusive for far too long. He still was unsure of this location; it seemed to be too far from her normal hunting grounds. Then again, she did enjoy going to communities where there seemed to be a strong belief. It made the hunt that much more thrilling.

Jasper shook his head and tried to push the thoughts aside. There would be no point in growing angry, at least not right now. That feeling was to be saved for when Bela did finally decide to show her face again. He chuckled at that thought; Bela had no face, not anymore, so she could literally be anyone at anytime. For now he needed to be careful and pay attention. It wouldn’t do to slack off because that was when things would begin to unravel.

Walking out of the school, Jasper moved over to his classic ’67 Impala. This was always the most difficult part, trying to blend in and trying to resist all of the urges he felt. It had never been one of his strong suits; in fact, he had always just gone along with every whim ever since that month that had completely ruined any sense he had of a normal life.

His thoughts wandered as he got into his car and started to drive to the apartment where he was staying, and he found himself drawn far into his past, back when everything had been mostly peaceful. Even now he could remember his childhood home as if he had been there only days before.

It was not a grandiose estate by any means, but it had provided well for his family. “Jasper,” his mother called from the doorway. He stopped chasing after Charlotte and looked over to his mother. Her eyes seemed pained and grief-stricken; he could tell that she was near to crying again.

He ran over to her. “Yes, mother?”

“It is your father,” she said softly. “He would like to speak to you.”

“He asked for me?” It was strange as normally his father wanted to see the girls. Jasper had known for some time that his father was ill, perhaps to the point where it was inevitable that he would pass on.

His mother nodded. “Go to him, please. If you will not do it for yourself, then at least have the decency to go because I ask you to.”

Jasper moved forward and embraced his mother. “It will be all right, Mother. Please do not cry. This does not mean that the end is near. Father is a very stubborn man. Have faith.” Though he spoke the words with as much conviction as he could, Jasper could hardly believe them himself. After their latest spat, his father had said that he would not speak to Jasper again until he was on his death bed.

After a few moments Jasper released his mother and stepped into their home, heading past the kitchen and towards his parents’ bedroom. He took a deep breath and then knocked on the door.

“Come in,” came his father’s hoarse reply.

Jasper opened the door and walked inside the room, closing the door behind him. “You wished to see me, sir?” he asked. Though they did not agree on many issues, he still would not forget the ideals he had been raised with, including being respectful of others. Even his father deserved that much.

His father nodded and gestured towards the chair situated near the bed. “Have a seat.”

He hesitated only a moment before he moved over towards the bed and sat down. Looking over he noticed just how much his father had changed in the past few weeks. It seemed as if his hair had changed from gray to almost complete white, and his skin was almost translucent; Jasper could see the trails of veins, like spider webs throughout his father’s arms.

“I know we have had our differences, especially of late, but it is near the end of his life that a man thinks on his own beginnings and to what is truly important in life. I understand your desire to begin your new life somewhere else, where you will not be judged based on my decisions, but at the same time you must understand my side of this argument. Who will take care of Rebecca and Margaret, Charlotte, and your mother when I am gone? You are needed here at home, Jasper. It is time you start acting in accordance with your responsibilities. There is no reason why you could not be happy with Lillian right here. You are to be the man of the house and you must concern yourself with the needs of your family before all else.”

Jasper said nothing and merely focused his gaze on the floor as he listened to his father’s speech. When he finished with it all he began to cough uncontrollably. Jasper stood up and grabbed the cup of water beside the bed. “Here, drink this,” he said, holding the cup out to his father. A few moments later the coughing subsided. “Father, Lillian and I do not wish to be trapped in this town our entire lives. It is not as if I plan on abandoning Mother, Rebecca, Charlotte, or Margaret. We simply wish to begin this chapter of our lives somewhere else.”

“What shall your mother do for money? She cannot raise your sisters all on her own.”

Jasper turned away from his father and let out a heavy sigh. “I will send her money then, if that is what you wish for me to do.”

“I have never wanted anything of the sort.” The more he said, the louder his voice became, as if he was expending the rest of his energy on this. “This land has been in our family for five generations. I want it to be where you raise your own children and they raise their children.”

Jasper broke out of his thoughts as he pulled into the gravel parking lot of the apartment complex. It had only been a few weeks after his father’s passing that everything had changed, being horribly altered by events he had not imagined before that time. After all it seemed out of the realm of possibility, something that one might read in a storybook

Of course, now that was how he felt, like he was a part of a storybook. In a way he was reminded of when he used to read stories and fairytales to his sisters. They had always wanted stories with happy endings so he had to be careful of what he told them, but all three of them had enjoyed the tale of Briar Rose, more commonly known as Sleeping Beauty, especially nowadays. Just like Briar Rose, Jasper felt as if he was waiting to be rescued from this fate. He had been waiting for far too many years for the happiness that had been ripped away from him in his previous life.

He got out of his car and headed into his apartment, tossing his bag down on the couch and going to the kitchen to grab a drink from the refrigerator. After that he headed back to the living room and sat down in the recliner. Taking a drink he grimaced. The pre-packaged stuff never tasted as good as when it was fresh. For the time being though, it would have to sustain him as he couldn’t risk hunting so soon after the move. Jasper licked his lips for a moment then finished off the container before tossing it into a wastebasket that he had placed near the chair.

Then he closed his eyes and thought over the uneventful first day he had had at the local high school. Why he still chose to continue with these charades he did not know because he could have easily shown proof of having graduated a few years before. Mainly he did it so he could observe more people without attracting too much attention. It would make it easier if he was able to see himself if there were any dramatic changes in the behavior of anyone. That would be a sure sign that Bela was up to her tricks again.

Reclining back in the chair, Jasper closed his eyes and he didn’t even realize that he had drifted off to sleep until he heard a knock on his apartment door. Jolting upwards, Jasper shook his head for a moment to wake himself up before standing up and walking over to the door. As he reached for the doorknob he wondered who it could be. Perhaps it was the landlord, because he hadn’t told anyone but the secretary at the school where he was staying.

Opening the door he froze when he saw Liberty Sullivan. She was one of the last people he would have thought would stop to see him. He thought he had made it clear at school that he did not want any sort of relationship to form. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

She gave him a small smile and held up a basket of fruit and other snacks. “I live just down the street and I thought I would come to welcome you to the neighborhood.” Liberty held the basket out to him.

Jasper said nothing, and merely stood there looking at her. She was still being nice, as if she actually cared. This couldn’t happen; there was too much at stake. He reached out and took the basket from her. Without saying anything else, he stepped back into the apartment and slammed the door shut.