Thanks to H.T. Rajan and George2009 for reviewing. It's crazy that I'm at the end of Day 6 and already I'm up at 14,158 words. I'm hoping to keep this momentum going. Please Read & Review.

Chapter Six

Jasper sat in his classes and listened to lessons he had heard many times before. Little had changed over the years, except for the growth of technology. Now all essays were turned in after being typed instead of using best penmanship. Jasper had noted the decline in students’ skills, both when it came to writing and grammar as well as with interest in reading.

Everything had been taken over by the digital age. He missed the days of writing letters instead of sending an e-mail. The constant abbreviations of words into text speak had severely ruined the English skills of several generations.

He believed he was doing rather well with keeping himself isolated from everyone at the school. It would be better this way. He didn’t want to give Bela any advantage over him this time, and without attachments he could leave once everything was settled.

But he could tell that it was going to gradually become more difficult. Even now he was highly aware of all the beating hearts of everyone in the room. The sights and smells were more intense and he was beginning to struggle with his urges, and Jasper had never been one to fight his urges. He needed to go out and hunt but it was still too soon. An attack now would only raise suspicions. No, he would have to find another town in which to hunt.

For now he would have to make due with what he had stored up though the difference in taste for him was like the difference between well water and city water. The stuff he had worked when there was no other option but it did not taste the same. Hospitals did so much with the blood that it altered the texture and flavor.

Jasper let out a deep breath. Thinking about his thirst was only making it worse and the only way to satiate it would be to go out and hunt. For now though he just needed to keep occupied, something school could never do. While they tended to cover more material at school, students didn’t actually learn as much. It was a shame just how much the system had deteriorated.

This wasn’t working. The school day was only half completed and already he was going mad. After only a week at this place he doubted that he had made the right decision. There was no sign that Bela was anywhere nearby and for some reason he was struggling more than usual with his thirst and desire to just rip someone apart. He clenched his fists together and slowly let out a deep breath.

The bell ringing was a welcome sound and Jasper made his way out into the hallway and rushed down the hall towards the lunch room. Granted he wouldn’t be eating anything there, though he could if he absolutely wanted to but now most people seemed to ignore him so he didn’t have to worry as much about keeping up perceptions. He did buy a couple slices of pizza from the ala carte line because he was over-cautious.

As he sat down he looked around the cafeteria once more but as usual no one was looking at him. The solitude allowed him to drift off into his memories once again, as he so often did when he was waiting to find Bela.

There was a little brook at the edge of his family’s property and by following it downstream just a little ways he came to a grove of apple trees. It was always so beautiful, especially when they began to bloom in the spring. The apple tree grove was where he usually went to meet with Lillian, in a location away from his family. Jasper knew his father was far too busy working on the farm and his sisters would never go too deep into the woods on their own. This was where he could be alone.

Jasper sat down beside the brook and waited. If he knew Lillian, and he was sure he did, then she would arrive soon enough. He had been calling on her for several months now and in that time she had turned away all other suitors. All that remained for them was to ask for permission to wed. Lillian had already said that she wished for it. Once he received his parents’ blessings then Jasper knew exactly what ring to give Lillian, his great great grandmother’s ring. It had passed down through many generations of Gray’s, always going to the eldest child. His father had received it when he had proposed, and soon Jasper would receive the ring to give to Lillian.

He smiled at the thought. Sometimes it felt strange to imagine what life would be like had he not grown fond of Lillian. Now his world revolved around her and he dreamed of the life they would have together.

“Well someone is thinking happy thoughts.” Her voice was so peaceful, even when it interrupted the silence of the grove.

Jasper turned to look at her and his smile grew wider. “I was merely thinking of our future. Just think, in a couple months’ time we shall be engaged.”

Lillian gave a small smile but there was something in her eyes that worried Jasper. If he had to guess then she was concerned about something and it was causing her to doubt their decisions. “What is it, Lillian?” he asked, standing up and gazing right at her.

“I am sure it is nothing,” she replied. “I guess I just fear that our families will not approve of us wanting to move away from here. Our legacies stretch back over a hundred years and your father especially, he does not approve of change.”

“We will be sure to explain to them that we will still return for holidays. It is not like we are going to abandon them completely, but they have to understand that it is nearly impossible for us to begin our new life together with everything that has happened, especially in the past two generations. I do not think they will fight against us, at least not very much.” Jasper moved close and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her slender frame. “Everything will work out, Lillian, I promise.”

Once again the bell rang and this time it pulled Jasper out of his reverie. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried without success to push thoughts of Lillian aside. They had haunted him, particularly since his first day at the school. He supposed it had something to do with Liberty. There were a few similarities between her and Lillian but there were enough differences to keep him from losing it completely.

After Bela’s first entrance into his life, everything had changed and that included his relationship with Lillian. In what seemed like the blink of an eye he had walked away from her without even telling her the reason why he could not stay. He walked away and left her standing in front of her house, tears running down her cheeks. Now every time he thought back to his past, he couldn’t help but remember that he did not keep his promise to her. Everything had not worked out.

It all could not have gone worse. He imagined if Lillian saw him today she would not even recognize him, and it would be the truth as he barely even knew who he was anymore. It came down to Bela and that was all. Jasper knew that now he was cold and sometimes cruel, and that he was obsessed with finally reaching the conclusion of what had turned into one extremely long nightmare.

Jasper went to History and almost fell asleep as the teacher droned on about some historical event as if he were reading all the information from an encyclopedia. History was so much more fascinating than most people made it out to be. It wasn’t meant to be told in a documentary but instead to be told through first hand accounts or through the stories passed down through the generations. Even going to a museum was more entertaining because there were real historical items there.

It passed soon enough and Jasper found himself heading to English. They were going to be starting The Tragedy of King Lear. Jasper did not mind Shakespeare; in fact, sometimes he even thought that he liked some of the plays. Of course, they were always better when one could watch them performed on stage. Even the modernized renditions were somewhat amusing. It was interesting to see how a sword duel could turn into a gang war with guns.

As usual he noticed that Liberty glanced back at him after she walked into the class. He could tell she was trying to be sneaky about it but she was the only one who really looked at him so he found it quite obvious. It was odd that she still seemed fixated on him when everyone else didn’t care. This had never happened before and Jasper found himself questioning why she was different. Distancing himself from her was becoming more and more difficult.

His life had been solitary for so long that he wondered if he could even have a conversation that lasted past small talk. ‘Ignore her,’ he told himself. She would give up eventually when she saw that she failed at every attempt. She had to give up in order to keep herself safe.

Jasper took no notes in any class and instead spent his time quietly studying each and every one of his classmates. Bela seemed to have a preference for those around his apparent age which meant it had to be someone from the high school. She wouldn’t be able to be tracked until she took one of them and by then it would already be too late to save her victim. Once she had taken her first victim though he believed he would be able to track her and stop her.

If he failed then she would continue on her rampage and more people would die. Over the years he had kept track of the sheer numbers of people dead because of Bela and it was a staggering amount. Though he himself hunted for both the joy of it and for a blood source that hadn’t been tampered with, Jasper tried not to go too far with it. If it was possible he only took enough to sustain himself. On a few occasions he had taken too much and the faces of his victims were emblazoned in his memories.

He refused to allow Bela to win this time. They had both been around for far too long and it was time for it all to be over. He would find her and he would not give up until she was gone for good.

Surprisingly the rest of his classes flew by and Jasper went home as quickly as he could to pour over a map. He needed to plan where he was going to go for the weekend to hunt. It had to be far enough away that no one would suspect him in it but close enough to where he could keep an eye on his new “home.” If not prepared he knew Bela would take advantage and strike at the worst possible moment.

Jasper looked at the map for quite some time before picking out the perfect location and nodding. He would have to hunt soon, within the next couple of days if he didn’t want to go on a spree through school. That would certainly attract more attention than he wanted.

His idea formed and his mind made up on all of it, Jasper then started to walk back to his bedroom. It was going to be a long weekend so sleep would be very important. A few extra hours now would be beneficial in the long run. But just as he went to walk into his bedroom he heard a knock on the door. He stopped in the middle of the hall. Rent wasn’t due for several months since he paid in advance and he hadn’t been expecting any package delivery or anything of that nature. Turning around, Jasper began to walk back to the door, all the while wondering who it was.

He froze as he reached out for the doorknob. No, it couldn’t be. Would she really have come all the way here to try again? He sighed; if it was her then she was certainly persistent in this matter. Jasper couldn’t help but wonder why it was so important to her that she get him to talk to her. It hadn’t worked all week long and still she persisted.

Maybe if he didn’t answer the door she would think that he wasn’t there. Letting out a deep breath, he shook his head. No, if he didn’t do anything now then she would only try again. He gripped the doorknob and slowly pulled the door open to find Liberty standing on the other side.

She had changed clothes since school and he approved of the change. A baggy shirt did not look good on anyone, especially not someone who would look so much better with a few wardrobe updates. The shirt she had on now was light blue in color and it only seemed to draw his attention to her forest green eyes.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

Liberty stepped forward, moving herself into the doorway. “I came to talk to you. I don’t think it is right that you spend all of your time alone. No one can truly live that way. It would probably be beneficial for you to talk to someone.”

He shook his head. “I appreciate your concern but I am fine on my own. I have been for quite some time.”

“That may be the problem though, Jasper. I think that you just don’t want to admit that you’re miserable. Talk to me or don’t talk to me, I don’t care, but you should talk to someone. Go to one of the churches and speak with someone there. I can see it in your eyes. You want to talk to someone and this self-imposed isolation is tearing you apart. I can help you if you let me.”

“You really are persistent, you know that?”

“I don’t give up on things I believe in.”

Jasper sighed. “Tonight is not a good time to talk. Actually tomorrow isn’t good either. I’m going out of town for the day.”

Liberty smiled and Jasper glanced away. It reminded him of Lillian’s smile but Liberty seemed to be less trapped by other things; her smile was warm and showed Jasper just how much she cared about others, even those she had just met.

“Then you can call me when you’re ready to talk. My home number is in the phone book and if I’m not home then one of my parents will know where to find me. You don’t have to suffer through whatever is bothering you on your own. There are people who are willing to help you.”

Jasper nodded and thought for a few moments. He either had to talk to her or have her continue showing up at bad times. “Thank you. I will call you sometime soon then. Goodbye, Liberty.” He waited for her to take a step back out of the doorway before he closed the door.